Unilever and its demerged ice cream business, Magnum, have been sued for defamation by Anuradha Mittal, according to a report from Reuters.
The move follows Mittal’s removal as chair last year, after Magnum Ice Cream said she no longer met “the criteria” to serve as a member of the Ben & Jerry’s Board.
Mittal joined the Ben & Jerry’s board in 2007 and was appointed as its chairperson in 2018. Despite the pressure, she said she had no plans to resign.
According to the news outlet, Mittal’s complaint said her support for Palestinian rights and a ceasefire “rankled” the then parent company of Magnum - Unilever.
In a filing published in 2025, Magnum said it believed that the governance structure of Ben & Jerry’s could pose risks to the reputation and operations of the group with the potential for “misalignment” between decisions taken or public statements made by the Ben & Jerry’s Board, its members or others associated with Ben & Jerry’s.
The statement added that in addition to taking decisions or making public announcements that are inconsistent with the group’s strategy and objectives, the Ben & Jerry’s Board, its members or others associated with Ben & Jerry’s may also attempt to bring legal claims and make public statements against the company or other members of the Group where they may believe that the actions of the company infringe on their primary responsibilities for the “social mission” or “essential integrity” of the Ben & Jerry’s brand.
It said: “Such actions could similarly result in reputational damage, consumer boycotts of products, investor claims or adverse shifts in consumer behaviour.”
Posting to Linked In, Mittal wrote: “The narrative that Unilever and the Magnum Ice Cream Company have put forward — that the Board must be changed in order to “ensure the longevity of the social mission” — is not just inaccurate, it is inverted logic.
“The Independent Board was created for the very purpose of ensuring that longevity. To suggest that the Board is somehow the threat to the mission is exactly the opposite of what the merger agreement envisioned.”
On-going battle over Ben & Jerry’s independence
This is the latest in a long-running dispute between the companies. Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit against Unilever in November 2024 accusing the firm of silencing the ice cream maker’s attempts speak out against Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip as well as its calls for a permanent and immediate ceasefire.
In September 2025, the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s wrote to the Board of The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) asking for the brand to be made independent. The request was denied, with TMICC saying the business is not for sale.
Shortly after, co-founder Jerry Greenfield quit, saying the brand had lost its independence under Unilever’s ownership, despite an agreement protecting its social mission when it was acquired in 2000.
“It is profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone,” Greenfield said at the time.
Earlier this week, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation – a social justice arm funded by the ice cream brand – said it had won a court ruling to join a lawsuit against The Magnum Ice Cream Company. The lawsuit challenges the parent company over its contractual obligations and independence.
Responding to Mittal’s latest allegations, a Unilever spokesperson told Food Manufacture “We reject these unfounded claims. We are confident that the facts will show the allegations are entirely lacking in merit.”
TMICC, Ben & Jerry’s, and the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation have been contacted for comment.