Ben & Jerry’s has filed a lawsuit against Unilever, claiming its parent company “threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members” if the brand spoke out in support of Palestine, CNN reported.
In the recent lawsuit, Ben & Jerry’s claims that Unilever has breached the terms of a 2022 settlement. The popular ice cream brand previously sued the consumer goods company for breaching its 2000 merger agreement and allowing for the marketing and sales of Ben & Jerry’s products in Israel, despite disapproval from the brand. As part of the settlement, Unilever is required to “respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry’s independent board’s primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry’s social mission,” the lawsuit specifies per CNN.
“Ben & Jerry’s has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights,” according to the lawsuit. “Unilever has silenced each of these efforts.”
Specifically, the brand has “tried to call for a ceasefire, support the safe passage of Palestinian refugees to Britain, back students protesting at U.S. colleges against civilian deaths in Gaza, and advocate for a halt in U.S. military aid to Israel,” CNN outlined. Their attempts have all been silenced by Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s states in its lawsuit.
In response to the recent legal action, Unilever told the outlet in an email statement: “Our heart goes out to all victims of the tragic events in the Middle East. We reject the claims made by B&J’s social mission board, and we will defend our case very strongly.”
“We would not comment further on this legal matter,” it added.
Elsewhere in the lawsuit, Ben & Jerry’s says its independent board was also silenced by Unilever. Unilever’s head of ice cream, Peter ter Kulve, said he was worried about the “continued perception of anti-Semitism” in connection to the brand’s stance on Gaza, per the suit.
The lawsuit adds that Unilever rejected Ben & Jerry’s selections of human rights groups to make donations to. The company took issue with the Jewish Voice for Peace, saying the organization was “too critical of the Israeli government,” according to the lawsuit.
