Ben & Jerry�s has filed yet another lawsuit against its parent company, Unilever, accusing it of blocking the ice cream brand�s attempts to publicly support Palestinians in Gaza. The lawsuit, filed in the United States, claims Unilever threatened to dismantle Ben & Jerry�s board and take legal action against its members if they continued pushing their controversial political views, according to Reuters.

This legal move is the latest in a string of confrontations between Ben & Jerry�s and Unilever, reflecting an ongoing internal struggle fueled by Ben & Jerry�s insistence on prioritizing activism over business stability. The tensions began in 2021 when Ben & Jerry�s unilaterally decided to stop selling its products in Israeli communities in Yehuda and Shomron, a move that alienated some investors and triggered divestments from Unilever. The decision was widely criticized for injecting the brand into a highly charged international issue at the expense of shareholder value.

Unilever, which acquired Ben & Jerry�s in 2000, has repeatedly found itself at odds with the brand�s increasingly polarizing agenda. Last year, Ben & Jerry�s even took Unilever to court over its decision to sell the brand�s business in Israel to a local licensee, enabling sales in Israel and the contested territories despite the brand�s objection. That lawsuit was eventually settled, with Unilever agreeing to recognize Ben & Jerry�s board’s independence concerning social mission decisions.

But in this latest legal complaint, Ben & Jerry�s argues that Unilever is violating that settlement by allegedly preventing it from making pro-Palestinian statements. According to the lawsuit, Ben & Jerry�s tried on four occasions to publicly advocate for �peace and human rights,� but Unilever reportedly blocked these efforts.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)