Ben & Jerry’s says CEO fired by parent company over social mission
Ben & Jerry’s says parent company Unilever fired their CEO over his commitment to the brand’s social mission, not his job performance.
As the relationship between Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever continues to become more tense, the ice cream maker has alleged that its CEO was removed by Unilever over the company’s political posts.
In a Tuesday filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Ben & Jerry’s alleged that Unilever violated a merger agreement by continuously “silencing” Ben & Jerry’s “social mission.”
The ice cream maker says its CEO David Stever as well as other employees of the company have been threatened by Unilever over their continuous support for Palestinian refugees.
“Unilever has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, including CEO David Stever, should they fail to comply with Unilever’s efforts to silence the social mission,” the filing said.
UK-based Unilever did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on Wednesday.
Here is what you need to know.
Unilever allegedly suppressed Ben & Jerry’s support for social issues
In the Tuesday filing, Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever had recently reached new levels of “suppression of Ben & Jerry’s social mission.”
The ice cream maker said Unilever had blocked “without explanation” Ben & Jerry’s from making a post expressing support for Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian refugee who says he’s being held as a “political prisoner” for speaking out last year against Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
In the filing obtained by USA TODAY, Ben & Jerry’s included the blocked post:
“Protect the First Amendment! Free speech and peaceful protests are the lifeblood of our democracy, and student activists have always been at the center of the fight for justice. Political speech is protected by our constitution and peaceful civil disobedience should never be the basis for deportation. Protect your right to dissent and take action with the @ACLU,” the filing said.
Ben & Jerry’s said it also planned to include a link to an ACLU petition in support of Khalil.
The company also alleged that Unilever had blocked a planned post in celebration of Black History Month back in February.
In another filing in February, Ben & Jerry’s alleged suppression of their social views. The company said Unilever ice cream chief Peter ter Kulve unilaterally banned it from “issuing any posts criticizing President Trump” pending further review.
Ter Kulve previously banned a planned post on hot-button issues when Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20 because the post mentioned the incoming president, Ben & Jerry’s said in the filing.
Unilever threatened Ben & Jerry’s with dismantling of independent board
In the initial lawsuit filed back in November 2024, Ben & Jerry’s alleged that Unilever had threatened to dismantle an independent board that was created back in 2000 when Ben & Jerry’s was bought by Unilever.
According to court documents, the board is tasked with protecting Ben & Jerry’s values and mission. The ice cream maker alleged that Unilever made the threats to the company after they attempted to support Palestinian refugees.
“Unilever threatened to dismantle the Independent Board and sue the board members individually if Ben & Jerry’s–with its decades-long motto of ‘peace, love & ice cream’– issued the statement supporting ‘peace’ and a ‘ceasefire’,” the filing said.
Regarding Stever, Ben & Jerry’s alleged that the reasoning for his proposed removal by Unilever is purely due to his “commitment to Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission,” rather than “any genuine concerns regarding his performance history.”
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
