Torts/Personal Injury
Apr. 17, 2026
Ben & Jerry's: Defamation or brand protection?
Mittal v. Unilever frames a threshold question: when do statements made in the ordinary course of corporate governance become actionable defamation under the First Amendment.
Neama Rahmani
Co-Founder
West Coast Trial Lawyers
Phone: (213) 927-3700
Email: nr@westcoasttriallawyers.com
Neama is a former federal prosecutor who now represents plaintiffs in personal injury and employment matters.
When the former chair of Ben & Jerry's independent board filed a defamation lawsuit against parent company Unilever on March 26 (Mittal v. Unilever PLC et al., N.D. Cal. 3:26-cv-02660), the case did more than spotlight a high-profile corporate dispute. It raised a fundamental question at the intersection of First Amendment law and corporate governance: When do statements made in the course of managing a company cross the line into actionable defamation? More specifically,...
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