NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - Ben & Jerry's ( UL ) said its

parent, Unilever ( UL ), decided to oust the ice cream maker's

chief executive, Dave Stever, escalating a battle over the

subsidiary's independence on social policy issues.

In a Tuesday night filing in Manhattan federal court, Ben &

Jerry's ( UL ) said Unilever ( UL ) advised on March 3 it was "removing and

replacing" Stever, after repeatedly threatening Ben & Jerry's ( UL )

personnel if they did not comply with the parent's "efforts to

silence the social mission."

Stever was named chief executive in May 2023, having been

with Ben & Jerry's ( UL ) since being hired as a tour guide in 1988.

The new accusations came in Ben & Jerry's ( UL ) lawsuit seeking to

stop Unilever's ( UL ) alleged efforts to dismantle its independent

board and end its social activism.

They were included in a proposed amended complaint, which

Ben & Jerry's ( UL ) needs court permission to file.

Unilever ( UL ) had faced a Wednesday deadline to seek dismissal of

Ben & Jerry's ( UL ) earlier complaint.

Ben & Jerry's ( UL ) has had a socially conscious mission since its

1978 founding by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

Unilever ( UL ) bought Ben & Jerry's ( UL ) in 2000. The companies have

been at odds since 2021 when Ben & Jerry's ( UL ) halted sales in the

Israeli-occupied West Bank. That business was later sold.

Many companies have retreated on social policies that Donald

Trump and other conservatives deem too liberal, as the U.S.

president seeks to reshape the federal government and parts of

corporate America.

Last month, Ben & Jerry's ( UL ) accused Unilever ( UL ) of unilaterally

banning it from publicly criticizing Trump, ostensibly because

of the "new dynamic."

Unilever ( UL ) plans to spin off Ben & Jerry's ( UL ), Breyers, Magnum

and other ice cream brands later this year, as it simplifies a

product portfolio whose dozens of other brands include Dove,

Hellmann's, Knorr, Surf and Vaseline.

The case is Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc v Unilever ( UL ) et al,

U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

24-08641.