Ben & Jerry's Remaining Independent Board Members, In Court Filing, Accuse Magnum of Trying to Oust Them -- Update

By Aimee Look

Ben & Jerry's remaining independent board members said owner Magnum Ice Cream is threatening to oust them, accusing the ice-cream giant in a court filing of telling them the company has grounds to dismiss them.

Magnum denied the accusation, saying it asked all board members to affirm the requirement to comply with the company's code of business integrity. Every employee is required to sign the document, Magnum said.

Ben & Jerry's imposed term limits on board members this week, which will result in the departure of two board members. Chair Anuradha Mittal has also left the board.

The move was the latest episode in a long-running conflict between the business's board and its parent company. Ben & Jerry's board and the business's owners have been at odds in recent years over issues including the stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The court document was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York as a supplemental complaint in a previous suit against former owner Unilever by Ben & Jerry's board. The new filing seeks to add Magnum--which was spun out of Unilever earlier this month--as a defendant to a lawsuit that began in 2024.

Ben & Jerry's on Monday implemented a package of new requirements for board members, including a nine-year limit on their term. Mittal's removal was effective immediately and two of the directors, Jennifer Henderson and Daryn Dodson, were told their terms wouldn't continue beyond Dec. 31, 2025, according to the court document. Magnum affirmed the timeline.

In addition, Magnum sent letters to the other three independent board members, Detavio Samuels, Chivy Sok, and Aseel Najib, saying it has the right to oust them for resisting Mittal's expulsion over the past few months, according to the court filing.

The filing accuses Magnum of threatening to push out the remaining board members if they don't undergo training set out by Magnum, sign what the document calls an allegiance pledge by Dec. 23, and accept a new package of changes set out on Monday.

Magnum said there is "no such thing as an allegiance pledge" and the board members were asked to reaffirm compliance with Magnum's code of business integrity. This obligation has been in place since Ben & Jerry's was acquired in 2000, but has previously been the Unilever code, Magnum said.

If all six independent members were removed, there would only be two remaining directors on the board, Ben & Jerry's CEO Jochanan Senf, and Michiel Kruyt, who is a director appointed by shareholders in Unilever, which owns a minority stake in the newly listed company.

The filing says this week's changes come after a string of attempts by Magnum to remove Mittal from the board.

In October, Magnum's former parent Unilever presented findings from an audit into a separate Ben & Jerry's foundation, of which Mittal is also a trustee, according to the filing. Magnum said that the trustees were asked to address deficiencies the audit had found and "strengthen the governance framework so that we can continue funding," it said in a statement.

Unilever's main allegation against Mittal was that she had improperly donated funds from Ben & Jerry's foundation to the Oakland Institute, which Mittal is the executive director and founder of, according to the document.

Mittal called the allegations that she acted improperly unfounded in a statement seen by Dow Jones Newswires.

In response, Magnum referred to a previous statement in which it said Mittal no longer met the criteria to serve on the board.

Magnum said it and Ben & Jerry's were willing to fund the foundation if the governance changes were made, but said the foundation trustees as of Dec. 12 had declined to do so. Magnum and Ben & Jerry's also said they were prepared to evaluate alternative funding plans.

The court filing said disbursements from Mittal went to human and land rights work, and she didn't confer personal financial benefit, the filing said.

Write to Aimee Look at [e-mail]

Corrections & Amplifications

This article was corrected on December 19, 2025 to clarify that Magnum said it and Ben & Jerry's were willing to fund the foundation if the governance changes were made, but said the foundation trustees as of Dec. 12 had declined to do so. Magnum and Ben & Jerry's also said they were prepared to evaluate alternative funding plans. An earlier article incorrectly said Magnum said the foundation wouldn't be funded going forward.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-18-25 1112ET