Ben & Jerry's claims parent company fired CEO over brand's progressive activism

[erronis]

https://vtdigger.org/2025/03/19/ben-jerrys-claims-parent-company-fired-ceo-over-brands-progressive-activism/

Unilever moved to oust David Stever in early March for “his commitment to Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission and Essential Brand Integrity,” Ben & Jerry’s claimed in court filings.

Ben & Jerry’s has accused its parent company, London-based Unilever, of ousting the Vermont ice cream maker’s CEO over his support for the brand’s progressive social activism.

In a Tuesday filing from an ongoing lawsuit, Ben & Jerry’s alleged that Unilever breached the terms of the roughly quarter-century-old merger agreement between the two parties earlier this month, when it moved to dismiss David Stever as the ice cream maker’s CEO without properly consulting the brand’s independent board.

“Unilever’s motive for removing Mr. Stever is his commitment to Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission and Essential Brand Integrity … rather than any genuine concerns regarding his performance history,” the filing said.

Prior to Stever’s ouster, Unilever had “repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, including CEO David Stever” over their resistance to the company’s “attempts to silence the Social Mission,” according to the amended complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.

Since its acquisition by Unilever in 2000, the iconic Vermont ice cream maker has publicly championed progressive causes — such as the Black Lives Matter movement and Palestinian rights — under the oversight of an independent board, which was established during the merger for the purpose of pursuing the brand’s “Social Mission.”

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