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Ben & Jerry’s has accused its parent group Unilever of removing its CEO, the latest in a series of disagreements between the two over Ben & Jerrys' political activism.

In a court filing with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Ben & Jerry’s stated that Unilever advised it on 3 March that David Stever would be removed as Ben & Jerry's' CEO, not because of concerns about his performance but because of his commitment to the brand’s social mission.

Stever has been with the company since 1988 and was appointed as CEO in 2023. The ice cream brand alleges that the removal of Stever is part of efforts by Unilever to silence its activism and that Stever was removed without any prior consultation, contrary to the merger agreement between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever.

Ben & Jerry’s, founded in the 1970s by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, is known for its public stance on social issues and often backs campaigns on climate change and human rights, most recently releasing a new ice cream flavour co-created with a refugee network.

The court filing claimed: “Unilever has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, including CEO David Stever, should they fail to comply with Unilever’s efforts to silence the social mission".

This is the latest in a lengthy dispute between Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever. Last month, the ice cream brand accused Unilever of demanding that it stop publicly criticising US President Donald Trump. Ben & Jerry’s' founders have also been reported to be looking to buy the company back from Unilever.

The relationship between the two has become strained in the last few years following Ben & Jerry’s announcing it was halting sales in the West Bank and advocating for a cease-fire in Gaza. In November of last year, the ice cream company filed a lawsuit claiming that Unilever had tried to stop it from expressing support for Palestinian refugees.

Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 and part of the merger saw the set-up of an independent board to protect the ice cream brand’s mission and stance on social issues. The board claims that Unilever announced the removal of Stever without consulting them.

Anuradha Mittal, chair of Ben & Jerry’s independent board, said: “Dave [Stever] has courageously advanced the company’s social mission and values, has continued to drive innovation in its super premium product range and has delivered strong financial results, far outpacing the rest of Unilever’s ice cream business. What Dave hasn’t done is what Unilever would like him to do, which is to oversee the dismantling of Ben & Jerry’s mission [and] progressive values.”

This follows the replacement of Unilever’s own chief executive, Hein Schumacher, who was replaced with CFO Fernando Fernandez at the beginning of this month.

In a statement shared by BBC News, a spokesperson for Unilever said: "In line with the terms of the acquisition agreement, decisions on the appointment, compensation and removal of the Ben & Jerry's chief executive will be made by Unilever after good faith consultation and discussion with the B&J's Independent Board. We hope that the B&J Independent Board will engage as per the original, agreed process."