New York, NY – Ben & Jerry’s has announced that its CEO, David Stever, is being removed by parent company Unilever amidst a legal dispute over the ice cream company’s political activism. The legal case, filed in a US court, alleges that Unilever breached a merger agreement by attempting to suppress Ben & Jerry’s “social mission”.
This recent development comes after Ben & Jerry’s previous accusations against Unilever for pressuring the company to refrain from publicly criticizing US President Donald Trump. The filing with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York stated that Unilever had threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, including CEO David Stever, if they did not adhere to Unilever’s attempts to silence the company’s social mission.
Founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry’s has a history of taking a public stance on social issues, including LGBTQ+ rights and climate change. Despite being acquired by Unilever in 2000 under a merger agreement that aimed to protect Ben & Jerry’s values and mission through an independent board, tensions between the two companies have been escalating.
The dispute between Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s intensified in 2021 when Ben & Jerry’s announced a halt in sales in the West Bank. It further escalated as Ben & Jerry’s advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza, leading to a lawsuit filed by the ice cream company in November against Unilever for attempting to prevent support for Palestinian refugees.
In a separate court filing, Ben & Jerry’s alleged that Unilever had tried to restrict the company from publicly criticizing Donald Trump. David Stever, who has been with Ben & Jerry’s since 1988 and became CEO in 2023, was removed without any consultation, as mandated by the merger agreement.
The filing claimed that Unilever had pressured the independent board to approve the decision to dismiss Stever, illustrating the ongoing power struggle between the two companies over Ben & Jerry’s social activism. The outcome of this tumultuous relationship remains uncertain as both sides continue to clash over the ice cream brand’s values and mission.