Ben & Jerry's lawsuit accuses parent company of censorship over Gaza
Ben & Jerry’s has sued its parent company Unilever accusing it of silencing the ice cream maker from making statements in support of Palestinians in the war in Gaza
Ben & Jerry’s has sued its parent company Unilever accusing it of silencing the ice cream maker from making statements in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.
The complaint, filed Wednesday in federal court in New York, says the multinational conglomerate has failed to adhere to its contractural obligations with Ben & Jerry's by threatening to dismantle the company's independent board, sue board members, intimidate personnel and censor the company “from publicly voicing support for peace and refugee rights,” the lawsuit states.
London-based Unilever said in a statement that it rejects the claims made by Ben & Jerry’s social mission board. “We will defend our case very strongly,” it said.
Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s, a longtime supporter of progressive social causes, in 2000 but distanced itself from the ice cream maker’s decision in 2021 to halt sales in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem.
When Ben & Jerry’s was sold, the companies agreed that the ice cream maker’s independent board would be free to pursue its social mission, including longstanding support for liberal causes on such things as racial justice, climate action, LGBTQ rights and campaign finance reform. But Unilever would have the final word on financial and operational decisions.
Unilever then announced in July 2022 that it was selling its interest in the Vermont ice cream maker to its Israeli licensee, which would market Ben & Jerry’s products with Hebrew and Arabic labels in east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry’s tried to
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