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Fed up Ben & Jerry’s parent company dumps ‘woke’ CEO after years of headaches

March 20, 2025 | | Print Article

Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, fired CEO David Stever and the ice cream maker is responding with a lawsuit.

The Vermont-based company and its “woke” CEO were known for supporting left-leaning causes like Black Lives Matter, defunding the police, and refusing to sell its products to Israelis in the West Bank.

After Stever’s ouster, Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit in New York this week claiming Unilever told the board of directors that the CEO was being replaced for “his commitment to Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission and Essential Brand Integrity and his willingness to collaborate in good faith with the Independent Board, rather than any genuine concerns regarding his performance history.”

(Video Credit: WPLG Local 10)

The company contends the move by its parent company violates a merger agreement, stating that “Unilever’s failure to adhere to its contractual obligations” follows its acquisition of the ice cream maker in 2000, Fox Business reported.

“Unilever announced their decision before the committee had even been appointed and attempted to force the Independent Board into rubberstamping the decision by unilaterally dictating artificial and hasty deadlines,” according to court documents.

The merger agreement, according to Ben & Jerry’s, “protects the Social Mission and Brand Integrity of Ben & Jerry’s, positions the Independent Board as the ‘custodians’ of the same, and obligates Unilever to work with the Independent Board in good faith.”

Unilever “repeatedly failed to recognize 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 out regarding issues that Unilever prefers to censor,” the company argued.

The court documents claimed that Unilever “failed to engage with the Independent Board in good faith regarding how the restructuring will preserve the rights, duties, and obligations specified in the parties’ agreements, including Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission and Brand Integrity and the Independent Board’s authority over the same.”

“Ben & Jerry’s, though an incredibly popular brand worldwide, has created political problems for Unilever in recent years as the brand’s independent board tied itself to progressive stances that alienate sects of its consumer base,” Daily Mail noted. “Ben and Jerry’s has continued to push its woke agenda under CEO Stever, having partnered with the likes of Stephen Colbert, Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe and ‘Squad’ Congresswoman Cori Bush.”

Social media responded to news of the CEO’s firing.

Frieda Powers
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