Ben & Jerry’s has sued its parent company Unilever, accusing it of blocking the ice cream brand from releasing statements in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.
The legal complaint, which was filed in a New York federal court on Wednesday, accuses the consumer-goods conglomerate of breaching contractural obligations with Ben & Jerry’s by threatening to take legal action against board members, intimidate personnel and censor the company “from publicly voicing support for peace and refugee rights.”
Unilever responded with a statement published by The Associated Press (AP), in which it rejected the claims.
“We will defend our case very strongly,” the statement said.
Unilever’s Relationship with Ben & Jerry’s
Unilever, which acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000, has long supported the brand’s progressive activism, but the company distanced itself from Ben & Jerry’s 2021 decision to stop selling ice cream in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.