Court filings for the Southern District of New York reveal that Ben & Jerry’s is accusing its parent company, London-based Unilever, of firing its CEO for political posts, thus breaching its merger agreement.
Ben & Jerry’s CEO, David Stever, who has been with the brand since 1988, was reportedly removed due to the brand’s consistent public remarks on progressive issues, according to an amended complaint filed Tuesday.
The ice cream brand accuses Unilever of “removing and replacing” its CEO without the board’s approval, violating the rules of its 2000 merger, which “protects Ben & Jerry’s interests by preventing the unilateral removal of its CEO.”
“Unilever has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, including CEO David Stever, should they fail to comply with Unilever’s efforts to silence the social mission,” the filing stated. “On March 3 2025, Unilever informed the independent board that they were removing and replacing Stever as Ben & Jerry’s CEO.”
Ben and Jerry’s initially filed a lawsuit against Unilever in November 2024 for attempting to silence the brand on social media.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
