By Jonathan Stempel
March 26 (Reuters) - Unilever and its recently spun-off Magnum ice cream unit were sued for defamation on Thursday by Anuradha Mittal, who was ousted in December as chair of Ben & Jerry's independent board, citing their alleged campaign to vilify and discredit her for supporting Palestinian rights.
The lawsuit filed in the federal court in Oakland, California, escalates a years-long dispute over what Ben & Jerry's and the board have called efforts by Unilever to undermine their
autonomy and the brand's social mission, including by removing a former Ben & Jerry's chief executive.
Unilever retained a 19.9% stake in Magnum following the December spinoff. Neither company immediately responded to requests for comment.
Mittal said her support for Palestinian rights and a ceasefire in Gaza "rankled" Unilever, with the acrimony escalating after Unilever announced the Magnum spinoff in March 2024.
She said the defamation included claims that she engaged in self-dealing and received improper benefits, diverted funds belonging to the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, created a toxic work environment, and was unfit to remain board chair following internal investigations.
Mittal was raised in Kanpur, India, and is the founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute, a think tank focused on the rights of farmers, forest dwellers, indigenous communities and "pastoralists." She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in her lawsuit.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
