Ben and Jerry sold out to Unilever 25 years ago—now they’re going to war

Quick Summary:

In a lawsuit, the ice cream company accuses parent company of interfering with its social activism.  The consumer giant calls the accusations "meritless.

The board further claims that along with the fact that it should have been consulted about Stever’s ouster, he was pushed out because he sided with Ben & Jerry’s board over several social media posts that Unilever opposed, according to the complaint.

Instead, it says, Ben & Jerry’s was thwarted in several attempts to speak out on public issues.“Despite its contractual commitment to ‘[r]espect and acknowledge’ the Independent Board’s primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission and Essential Brand Integrity, Unilever has silenced each of these efforts,” the complaint reads, quoting the original agreement.

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Article Details

Author / Journalist: Lila MacLellan

Category: EconomyBusiness

Markets: United States

Topics: Unilever Corporate Activism Nelson Peltz Israel Corporate Governance Lawsuit Donald Trump Corporate culture

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Negative

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2025-04-23 @ 09:00:00 (13 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT +8:00

News Source URL: fortune.com

Language: English

Article Length: 2624 words

Reading Time: 15 minutes read

Sentences: 4 lines

Sentence Length: 656 words per sentence (average)

Platforms: Desktop Web, Mobile Web, iOS App, Android App

Copyright Owner: © Fortune

News ID: 28168507

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