President Donald Trump is mentioned alongside billionaires Elon Musk and Nelson Peltz in Ben & Jerry’s lawsuit against its parent company, Unilever.
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Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc. first took legal action against Unilever and its subsidiary, Conopco, filing a complaint in the US Southern District of New York in November.
In the initial complaint, Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever blocked it from making statements supporting Palestinians, which the company said breached a settlement agreement and prevented it from pursuing its social mission.
“Specifically, Unilever has repeatedly failed to recognise and respect the Independent Board’s primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission and Brand Integrity, including threatening Ben & Jerry’s personnel should the company speak regarding issues which Unilever prefers to censor,” the complaint said.
Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever breached the settlement agreement “by threatening to dismantle the Independent Board, sue Board members, and intimidate Ben & Jerry’s personnel.”
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The Vermont-based ice cream company has made political, social justice, and environmental activism part of its public identity. Most recently, Ben & Jerry’s official TikTok account promoted the People’s March in Washington, DC.