Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that its parent company Unilever has prevented it from expressing support for Palestinian refugees and threatened to take legal action against board members, according to Reuters.
The lawsuit marks the latest development in a long-running conflict between the Vermont-based ice cream brand and the consumer goods giant. The tension first became public in 2021 when Ben & Jerry's announced that it would halt sales in the West Bank, citing values-based concerns. That decision prompted some investors to sell their Unilever shares.
Following that announcement, Ben & Jerry's sued Unilever for transferring its Israeli operations to a local licensee, which allowed continued product distribution. The parties reached a settlement in 2022.
The new legal filing alleges that Unilever has violated the terms of the confidential 2022 settlement agreement, which required the parent company to "respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry's independent board's primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry's social mission."
According to the lawsuit, "Ben & Jerry's has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights. Unilever has silenced each of these efforts."
The ice cream maker claims it attempted to advocate for a ceasefire, support Palestinian refugee passage to Britain, back US college student protests regarding civilian casualties in Gaza, and oppose US military assistance to Israel, but was blocked by its parent company each time.
While the independent board made statements on some of these issues, the company itself was prevented from commenting, according to court documents.
According to Ben & Jerry's, Peter ter Kulve, Unilever's ice cream division chief, expressed concerns about the "continued perception of antisemitism" regarding the brand's stance on Gazan refugees, the lawsuit states.
The filing also details disputes over a $5 million donation allocation outlined in the settlement. Ben & Jerry's selected recipients include Jewish Voice for Peace and the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Unilever reportedly objected in August, stating that Jewish Voice for Peace was "too critical of the Israeli government."
Ben & Jerry's has maintained its social advocacy position since founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield established the company in a renovated gas station in 1978, continuing this mission after Unilever's acquisition in 2000.
Earlier this year, Unilever announced plans to separate its ice cream division, including Ben & Jerry's, by late 2025 as part of a corporate streamlining initiative.
