In a filing Tuesday night in a federal court in Manhattan, Ben & Jerry said Unilever informed March 3 that he did not need to consult directors because of his commitment to the ice cream maker’s social mission and brand integrity rather than because of concerns about his performance in his work.
It said Unilever corrected Stever in a performance review in January to “repeatedly acquiesce” Ben & Jerry to promote social goals and repeatedly warned personnel not to defy their efforts to “silent social mission.”
Ben & Jerry also said Unilever’s attack on its social mission reached a “new level of oppression.”
It said Unilever blocked it in February, not commemorating Black History Month, recently supported the release of detaining Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent resident of U.S. law, active in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, while the Trump administration hopes to deport.
Unilever and its attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of business hours. Ben & Jerry’s and his attorneys did not immediately respond to similar requests. Stever was appointed CEO in May 2023 and has served at Ben & Jerry since he was hired as a tour guide in 1988. His current working conditions cannot be determined immediately. The new allegations were filed in Ben & Jerry’s lawsuit, attempting to prevent Unilever from allegedly demolishing its independent board and ending its social activism efforts.
They were included in the proposed amendment complaint, and Ben & Jerry needed court permission to file the lawsuit.
Unilever had faced Wednesday’s deadline in an early complaint seeking to fire Ben & Jerry.
Since its founding in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry’s mission has been established since 1978.
Unilever purchased Ben & Jerry in 2000.
The companies have been in conflict since Ben & Jerry stopped selling in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2021. The business was later sold.
Many companies have retreated from social policies that Donald Trump and other conservatives consider too liberal as the U.S. president attempts to reshape parts of the federal government and U.S. companies.
Last month, Ben & Jerry was accused of Unilever unilaterally banning public criticism of Trump, ostensibly because of “new dynamics.”
Unilever plans to take off Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Magnum and other ice cream brands later this year.
The company is simplifying a portfolio, with dozens of other brands including Dove, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Surf and Vaseline.
The case is Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Company v Unilever Plc et al., U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 24-08641.
