A US judge has dismissed the majority of Ben & Jerry’s claims against its former parent company, Unilever. The ice-cream manufacturer accused Unilever of attempting to suppress the brand’s social positioning, of dissolving the board of directors, and of ceasing funding for the foundation associated with the brand.

The judge dismissed seven claims and part of an eighth claim from Ben & Jerry’s ten-point statement of claim. The dismissed claims relate primarily to the way in which Ben & Jerry’s is managed. The two claims that were upheld concern payments that Unilever allegedly failed to make. The judge also ruled that The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which has owned the brand since its spin-off from Unilever in December 2025, will act as the defendant in future.

Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000. At the time, it was agreed that an independent board would safeguard the brand’s social values. Since then, the two parties have regularly been at loggerheads. The court has now ruled that the 2000 merger agreement does not grant either the independent board of directors or the foundation the authority to initiate legal proceedings concerning corporate governance, such as the appointment or dismissal of board members. As a result, most of the ten claims were dismissed.