Ben & Jerry’s is accusing parent company Unilever of improperly firing its CEO in an effort to suppress its social activism, according to court documents.
In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the ice cream concept said Unilever’s decision was motivated by former CEO David Stever’s willingness to support the brand’s progressive social mission, which has long been a hallmark of the chain’s identity.
According to the merger agreement that brought Ben & Jerry’s under Unilever’s ownership, the chain operates with an independent board that oversees its social mission and brand integrity. The lawsuit alleges that Unilever ignored these agreements by making the decision to replace Stever before the board could put together an advisory committee to review the matter.
The court filing claims Unilever—which notified the board on March 3 of its decision—gave the governing body four days to approve Stever’s removal, despite Unilever having internally considered the move for months. The board pushed back, requesting access to Unilever’s reasoning and proposing a formal review process. But Unilever refused, the lawsuit states.
“Regrettably, despite repeated attempts to engage the board and follow the correct process, we are disappointed that the confidentiality of an employee career conversation has been made public,” Unilever said in a statement to the Associated Press.
The lawsuit seeks to block Unilever from removing Stever and to reaffirm the board’s authority over the brand’s social messaging.
Ben & Jerry’s insists in the lawsuit that the firing wasn’t due to Stever’s performance history. He joined the company in 1988 as a tour guide and had served as CEO since 2023. Under his tenure, Ben & Jerry’s reportedly outperformed the rest of Unilever’s ice cream portfolio. Yet, in a January 2025 performance review, Unilever executives allegedly criticized Stever for being too deferential to the board and for allowing Ben & Jerry’s to post statements that aligned with the board’s social values.
“Unilever’s actions breached the Merger Agreement by obstructing the CEO’s duties, purposely undermining Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission and Brand Integrity, and failing to abide by the agreed procedure for removal of Ben & Jerry’s CEO,” the lawsuit states. “These actions also breached the Settlement Agreement: Unilever’s attempt to replace Mr. Stever for preserving Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission and working respectfully with the Independent Board is antithetical to its contractual obligations to respect the Social Mission and work with the Independent Board in good faith to ensure it is furthered.”
The ice cream company also claims Unilever’s suppression of its social mission has “reached new levels of oppressiveness—and ironic.” In one example, Unilever prevented Ben & Jerry’s from issuing a post commemorating Black History Month. Unilever also blocked the company from making a post about Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by ICE after protesting on campus.
The lawsuit comes after Unilever announced plans in 2024 to spin off its ice cream division—including Ben & Jerry’s—into a standalone company. On March 5, Unilever told the board that a restructuring was “imminent.” Ben & Jerry’s argues Unilever has failed to engage in good-faith discussions about how the spinoff would preserve the brand’s contractual right to maintain its activist identity.
“Instead, they have repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, encroached on the Independent Board’s authority over the Social Mission, and
are now moving to replace those who they deem to have sided with the Independent Board,” Ben & Jerry’s said in the filing.
Ben & Jerry’s previously sued Unilever for silencing the brand’s attempts to express support for Palestinian franchisees.
