Iconic ice cream brand Ben and Jerry’s had a meltdown after woke CEO Dave Stever was reportedly “removed” from his position earlier this month in connection with the company’s leftist activism.
According to amended court documents filed Tuesday, parent company Unilever ousted Stever as CEO on March 3 — without consulting the independent Ben and Jerry’s board — because of “his commitment to Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission.” Board chair Anuradha Mittal noted further that Stever embraced “the company’s social mission and values” and stood up to Unilever when it demanded he “oversee the dismantling of Ben & Jerry’s mission, progressive values.”
Ben and Jerry’s alleged in the filing that, per its merger and settlement agreement with Unilever, Unilever was required to engage in “good faith consultation” with the independent board before removing Stever. The lawsuit denied that Stever’s “performance history” led to his removal, insisting that he had “outperformed Unilever’s ice cream portfolio” in 2023 and 2024.
The company also claimed that Unilever attempted “to silence” other Ben and Jerry’s employees about the company’s “Social Mission” and “repeatedly threatened” them in this regard. Unilever even allegedly “chastised” Stever for allowing Ben and Jerry’s to post political messages whipped up by members of the company and the independent board.
‘Student activists have always been at the center of the fight for justice.’
The lawsuit characterized these decisions by Unilever as “suppression,” “censorship,” and “inappropriate muzzling.” It also claimed that Unilever forbade Ben and Jerry’s from speaking out on behalf of Mahmoud Khalil — the apparent terrorist sympathizer facing deportation for allegedly orchestrating violent protests at Columbia University — publicly celebrating Black History Month, expressing opposition to the second Trump administration, and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“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 company wanted to post in response to ICE arresting Khalil earlier this month.
Unilever “blocked” the effort, the lawsuit claimed.
Stever first joined Ben and Jerry’s nearly 40 years ago when he began working as a tour guide in 1988. He was promoted to CEO in May 2023. Whether he has now split from the company completely is unclear.
The Ben and Jerry’s ice cream brand has been known for sprinkling liberal talking points into its product messaging since it was founded by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in Vermont in 1978. Just in the last few years, Ben and Jerry’s has offered flavors such as Pecan Resist, Change the Whirled, and Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee to promote leftist causes and candidates.
In fact, the independent board was established as part of the merger agreement when Unilever, based in the U.K., bought the company in 2000. The purpose of the board was to protect the ability of Ben and Jerry’s to engage in overt political activism. The recent court filing suggested that Unilever has not abided by the merger agreement in that regard.
Unilever, Ben and Jerry’s, and their respective attorneys did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters and the Washington Post.
Last year, Unilever announced that it would begin spinning off a number of its ice cream companies, including Ben and Jerry’s.
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Ben and jerry’s, Unilever, Dave stever, Ceo, Ice cream, Merger, Censorship, Politics
