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 ( UL ) independent board.

In a complaint filed in the federal court in Oakland, California, Mittal accused both defendants of campaigning to "vilify, denigrate and intimidate her" after being rankled by her public support for Palestinian rights and a ceasefire in Gaza.