Ben & Jerry's files lawsuit, claims Unilever silenced it over views on Palestine

Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's has reportedly filed a lawsuit stating that its parent company, Unilever, silenced its attempts to express support for Palestine and its refugees amidst the ongoing war.

It reportedly said that Unilever threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members over the issue, according to Reuters. 

A rift first erupted between Ben & Jerry's and Unilever in 2021 when the ice cream manufacturer reportedly said that it would stop selling its products in the West Bank which is occupied by Israeli troops as it was inconsistent with its values.

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Ben & Jerry's then sued Unilever to prevent the sale of its Israeli business to the local licensee named Avi Zinger, Reuters reported. The brand explained in the lawsuit that the sale announced on 29 June "threatened to undermine [the brand's] integrity", which Ben & Jerry's board preserved independence to protect when it was acquired by Unilever in 2000, Reuters added.

Unilever said at the time that it has sold the Israeli business of Ben & Jerry's to Avi Zinger which is the owner American Quality Products, the current Israel-based licensee. The new arrangement meant that Ben & Jerry’s will be sold under its Hebrew and Arabic names throughout Israel and the West Bank under the full ownership of its current licensee.

Under the terms of Unilever’s acquisition agreement of Ben & Jerry’s in 2000, Ben & Jerry’s and its independent Board were granted rights to make decisions about its social mission, but Unilever reserved primary responsibility for financial and operational decisions and therefore has the right to enter this arrangement.

That lawsuit was settled in 2022.

In its most recent lawsuit, Ben & Jerry's said that Unilever breached the terms of the 2022 settlement. These details continue to remain confidential. 

However, as part of the agreement, Unilever is reportedly meant to respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry's independent board's primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry's social mission, according to Reuters. 

In the lawsuit, Ben & Jerry's reportedly claims that it has tried on four occasions to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights, but that Unilever has silenced each of these efforts. 

Unilever reportedly told Reuters that it rejects these claims and that it will defend its case strongly. Ben & Jerry's added that it is confident that these issues will ultimately be resolved. 

In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Ben & Jerry's said “Our heart goes out to all victims of the tragic events in the Middle East. We reject the claims made by B&J’s social mission board, and we will defend our case very strongly. We would not comment further on this legal matter.”

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