Ben & Jerry’s lawsuit accuses the parent company of censorship over Gaza

Ben & Jerry’s has sued parent company Unilever for silencing the ice cream maker in making statements in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.

The complaint, filed Wednesday in federal court in New York, alleges that the multinational conglomerate breached its contractual obligations with Ben & Jerry’s by threatening to dismantle the company’s independent board, suing board members, intimidating employees and company to “publicly censor”. expressing support for peace and refugee rights,” the lawsuit said.

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 vigorously,” it said.

Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s, a long-time supporter of progressive social causes, in 2000 distanced itself from the ice cream maker’s decision in 2021 to halt sales in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and disputed 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 long-standing support for liberal causes on issues such as racial justice, climate action, LGBTQ rights and campaign finance reform. But Unilever would have the final say on financial and operational decisions.

Unilever then announced in July 2022 that it was selling its stake in the Vermont ice cream maker to its Israeli licenseethat would market Ben & Jerry’s products with Hebrew and Arabic labels in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry’s tried to block the plan in court, but that failed.

After months of negotiations, Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever have entered into a settlement agreement in which Unilever must respect the board’s responsibility for the ice cream maker’s social mission and brand integrity, and “work in good faith with the Independent Board of Directors to ensure that protects and promotes both,” the lawsuit states.

Ben & Jerry’s has been muzzled by Unilever in four attempts to publicly speak out against the war in Gaza with calls for “peace and a permanent and immediate ceasefire,” support for American students protesting the war and for ending U.S. military aid to Israel, the lawsuit states.

“Unilever has repeatedly failed to recognize and respect the primary responsibility of the Independent Board of Directors to Ben & Jerry’s social mission and brand integrity, including threatening Ben & Jerry’s employees if the company spoke about issues Unilever prefers to censor,” the ice cream maker said in the newspaper. court case. “The Independent Board is bringing this lawsuit to protect Ben & Jerry’s three-part mission from Unilever’s unilateral erosion and to protect the company from Unilever’s repeated overreach.”

In March, Unilever announced that this was the case cutting 7,500 jobs and divesting the ice cream activities to reduce costs and increase profits.