NEW YORK: Ben & Jerry’s stated its mother or father, Unilever, determined to oust the ice cream maker’s chief govt, Dave Stever, escalating a battle over the subsidiary’s independence on social coverage points.
In a Tuesday (Mar 18) night time submitting in Manhattan federal court docket, Ben & Jerry’s stated Unilever suggested on Mar 3 it was eradicating Stever with out consulting administrators due to his dedication to the ice cream maker’s social mission and model integrity, not due to considerations about his job efficiency.
It stated Unilever chastised Stever in a January efficiency evaluate for “repeatedly acquiescing” to Ben & Jerry’s promotion of social targets and has repeatedly warned personnel to not defy its efforts to “silence the social mission”.
Ben & Jerry’s additionally stated Unilever’s assaults on its social mission have reached “new ranges of oppressiveness.”
It stated Unilever blocked it in February from honouring Black Historical past Month, and extra just lately from supporting the discharge from detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a US authorized everlasting resident energetic in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia College and who the Trump administration desires to deport.
Unilever and its legal professionals didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark outdoors enterprise hours. Ben & Jerry’s and its legal professionals didn’t instantly reply to related requests.
Stever was named chief govt in Could 2023, having been with Ben & Jerry’s since being employed as a tour information in 1988. His present job standing couldn’t instantly be decided.
The brand new accusations got here in Ben & Jerry’s lawsuit in search of to cease Unilever’s alleged efforts to dismantle its impartial board and finish its social activism.
They had been included in a proposed amended grievance, which Ben & Jerry’s wants court docket permission to file.
Unilever had confronted a Wednesday deadline to hunt dismissal of Ben & Jerry’s earlier grievance.
