Ben & Jerry's lawsuit accuses parent company of censorship over Gaza

Ben & Jerry’s has sued its parent company Unilever accusing it of silencing the ice cream maker from making statements in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.

The complaint, filed Wednesday in federal court in New York, says the multinational conglomerate has failed to adhere to its contractural obligations with Ben & Jerry's by threatening to dismantle the company's independent board, sue board members, intimidate personnel and censor the company “from publicly voicing support for peace and refugee rights,” the lawsuit states.

London-based Unilever said in a statement that it rejects the claims made by Ben & Jerry’s social mission board. “We will defend our case very strongly,” it said.

Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s, a longtime supporter of progressive social causes, in 2000 but distanced itself from the ice cream maker’s decision in 2021 to halt sales in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem.