Ben & Jerry’s said that its managing director David Stever was abducted by his parent company, Unilever, in a growing dispute on political activism of the ice cream society.
The allegation was part of a legal affair deposited before an American court by Ben & Jerry who says that Unilever violated a merger agreement trying to silence his “social mission”.
This occurs a month after the ice cream company accused Unilever of having demanded that he stop publicly criticizing US President Donald Trump.
A Unilever spokesman said he was “disappointed that the confidentiality of a professional conversation of employees was made public”.
He said he had made “repeated attempts to hire the board of directors (Ben & Jerry) and follow the correct process”.
The deposit with the American district court of the South District of New York said that Unilever had “threatened Ben & Jerry staff several times, including CEO David Stever, if they do not comply with Unilever’s efforts to silence the social mission”.
Ben & Jerry’s has been known for a long time to adopt a public position on social issues since its creation in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.
He has often supported campaigns on issues such as LGBTQ + rights and climate change.
The ice manufacturer was bought by Unilever in 2000 thanks to a merger agreement which created an independent advice responsible for protecting the values and mission of the ice cream brand.
But Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have been in Loggerheads for some time. Their relationship has embittered in 2021 when Ben & Jerry announced that it interrupted sales in the West Bank.
The dispute degenerated in the past year while Ben & Jerry pleaded for a cease-fire in Gaza.
In November, the ice cream company filed a legal action saying that Unilever had tried to prevent it from expressing its support for the Palestinian refugees.
Last month, in another legal file, Ben & Jerry’s said that Unilever had tried to prohibit him from publicly criticizing Donald Trump.
Mr. Stever has been with Ben & Jerry’s since he joined the company in 1988 as a tourist guide. He was appointed Managing Director in 2023.
Ben and Jerry’s judicial file said that the decision to avoid Stever had been taken without any consultation, as required by the merger agreement between the two companies.
“Unilever … tried to force the independent board of directors when the decision kicks off,” he added.
The spokesperson for Unilever said: “In accordance with the terms of the acquisition agreement, decisions on the appointment, remuneration and abolition of the Director General of Ben & Jerry will be taken by Unilever after a consultation and a discussion with the independent B & J.”
“We hope that the B&J independent Board will be committed in accordance with the original agreement process,” they added.
Additional Lily Jamali reports