[Baltimore Sun] Ben & Jerry’s sues parent company for allegedly silencing support for Palestine
Read Time:2 Minute, 9 Second
Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, infringed upon the ice cream maker’s “social mission” by preventing it from speaking out in favor of Palestine, according to a lawsuit.
Ben & Jerry’s in 2020 agreed to plans that would halt distribution of its products in “Israeli-only settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the lawsuit claims. The decision was allegedly part of the company’s “social mission” to speak out on progressive political issues.
“For over four decades, the company has pursued its unique Social Mission via its public, progressive stances on issues such as migrant justice, LGBTQ+ rights, Black Lives Matter, GMO labeling, and a variety of other economic and social causes affecting historically marginalized communities,” the document reads.
Unilever, the lawsuit says, sold Ben & Jerry’s intellectual property to a distributor that planned to continue selling its products in the region. A separate lawsuit launched by Ben & Jerry’s over the sale was settled in 2022, though it claims Unilever violated these terms by failing to “[r]espect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board’s primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry’s social mission and essential brand integrity.”
Ben & Jerry’s claims it felt restricted by Unilever in its ability to post about Palestine on social media and make donations to pro-Palestine groups. The company also allegedly “failed to adhere to its contractual payment obligations to indigenous Palestinian farmers.”
In addition to making a “good faith” effort to cooperate with the independent board, Ben & Jerry’s demanded Unilever uphold its agreement to pay $2 million to a fair-trade company in exchange for Palestinian almonds, according to the lawsuit.
Unilever said it disagrees with the claims made by Ben & Jerry’s.
“Our heart goes out to all victims of the tragic events in the Middle East,” the company wrote. “We reject the claims made by B&J’s social mission board, and we will defend our case very strongly. We would not comment further on this legal matter.”
Ben & Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in September partnered with left-leaning voting initiative MoveOn to create an ice cream flavor for Vice President Kamala Harris. “Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee” seemingly referred to Harris’s viral 2023 “coconut tree” remark, which became a staple of her unsuccessful election campaign.
Have a news tip? Contact Jackson Walker at jacwalker@sbgtv.com or at x.com/jlwalker. Content from The National Desk is provided by Sinclair, the parent company of FOX45 News.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0