Ben & Jerry’s Independent Directors Lose Request for Injunction Over Israel Business

A judge denied a court petition by Ben & Jerry’s independent board members that sought to stop parent Unilever PLC from transferring assets to a local licensee in Israel—a setback for the ice cream brand in an unusual legal fight between a wholly owned subsidiary and its corporate owner.

A judge for the Southern District of New York ruled Monday that Ben & Jerry’s had failed to demonstrate irreparable harm in its request for a preliminary injunction against Unilever. Ben & Jerry’s board members earlier this month had asked the court to stop Unilever from making the transfer, arguing in a court hearing that the move could allow the brand’s products to be used to oppose social issues that it supports.