Ben & Jerry’s claims parent company fired CEO over brand’s 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.
March 21, 2025 | By Habib Sabet | VT Digger
Former Ben & Jerry’s CEO David Stever. File Photo
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.”
“For 25 years under Unilever’s ownership, this unique governance structure has been key to Ben & Jerry’s success,” Anuradha Mittal, chair of Ben & Jerry’s board, said in a written statement. “But today, that structure—and the values it protects—is under direct attack. Unilever has repeatedly interfered with the Independent Board’s authority, attempting to silence Ben & Jerry’s advocacy, and even threaten the Board’s dissolution.”
It’s unclear whether Unilever has appointed a new CEO or whether Stever, who has been with the brand since 1987 and was appointed as its chief executive in May 2023, has continued to work for Ben & Jerry’s in a different capacity since his ouster.
Mittal declined to comment on Stever’s employment status, citing the ongoing litigation, but in the statement said, “The Board remains steadfast in our support for Dave. We believe he is uniquely qualified to lead Ben & Jerry’s at this pivotal time.”
The allegations are the latest in a long line of legal complaints that Ben & Jerry’s has filed over what it claims are attempts by Unilever to suppress the brand’s progressive values, especially its expressions of support for Palestinians.
In November, Ben & Jerry’s launched an initial lawsuit against Unilever in U.S. District Court in New York, accusing the packaged-goods conglomerate of muzzling its attempts to issue public statements in support of Palestinian rights, including calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. The brand also claimed Unilever had blocked donations from the ice cream maker to activist organizations like Jewish Voices for Peace.
In January, Ben & Jerry’s further alleged Unilever had “unilaterally barred” the brand from making a social media post on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration that would have criticized the president, providing “no evidence whatsoever” for the decision.
In the latest complaint, lawyers for Ben & Jerry’s wrote that Unilever’s ongoing attempt to stymie the brand’s political expression “has reached startling new levels of oppressiveness” since its previous court filings.
Among other recent instances of muzzling cited in the complaint, Unilever prevented Ben & Jerry’s from posting on social media in honor of Black History Month, the filing said.
The conglomerate also prevented the brand from posting in support of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian student activist who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week. The post in its entirety was included in the lawsuit:
“Protect the First Amendment! Free speech and peaceful protests are the lifeblood of our democracy, and student activists have always been at the center of the fight for justice. Political speech is protected by our constitution and peaceful civil disobedience should never be the basis for deportation. Protect your right to dissent and take action with the @ACLU,” the post said, according to the filing. It also contained a link to an ACLU petition calling for Khalil’s release.
“Once again, Unilever provided no explanation for the censorship,” the filing said.
The legal feud comes as Unilever has been trying to spin off Ben & Jerry’s and its other ice cream brands, which it previously said it would do by the end of 2025.
Bloomberg reported last month Ben & Jerry’s founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfeld, were in talks to reacquire the brand from the conglomerate.
“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,” a Unilever spokesperson said in a statement to VTDigger. “We hope that the B&J Independent Board will engage as per the original, agreed process.”
This story was originally published by VT Digger.