Slaughter And May

Ann Slaughter

Former Laurinburg Mayor Ann Slaughter has died after a battle with cancer. She was 79.

A mayor and city council member for 20 years, Slaughter may best be remembered for her part in bringing the Richmond Community College’s Scotland County campus tofruition in 2010 after years of lobbying for the facility.

City officials remembered the former mayor’s “persistence and dedication” in accomplishing her goals.

“Mayor Slaughter dedicated a good part of her life to improving the city of Laurinburg, both as a long-term council member and later as mayor,” said current Laurinburg Mayor Matthew Block. “The city is a better place as a result of the work she did.”

Block said that Slaughter’s commitment was a quality that he strongly admired.

“Her persistence in following through on projects and her commitment to preserving downtown Laurinburg and its heritage were qualities that she acknowledged as well,” Block said. “She really loved old Laurinburg, and wanted to see it survive.”

Laurinburg City Clerk Dee Hammond, who worked with Slaughter for a decade, remembered the former mayor as having “a great love” for the town.

“She tried to be fair with everyone, and was the glue between the elected officials and the public,” Hammond said.

“She will be remembered for the fight against the G. S. X. hazardous waste corporation as well as for her dedication to making the Scotland County campus of Richmond Community College a reality. If she was behind something she never let up.”

Slaughter once said that she considered “getting the old hospital torn down and bringing the Richmond Community College campus to our citizens (in its place)” to be her most important achievement.

Adding that her primary part in the process of creating the Scotland County campus was “being an irritant”, the former mayor said people were so tired of her pushing the issue of the dilapidated building that they did something about it.

“People aren’t interested in destroying something, but they are interested in building something,” she said. “Getting RCC involved gave people something they could get behind and use to build something better. It was a great pleasure to be involved.”

Slaughter was born in Laurinburg on May 30, 1932, one of 11 children. She graduated from Laurinburg High School in 1950 and married John Harrison Slaughter, Jr. the same year. Together for 43 years, they owned and operated Southern Cleaners in downtown Laurinburg.

Wachtell, Slaughter and May Advise on Colgate-Unilever Double Deal

Colgate-Palmolive Company announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to purchase the Sanex personal care unit of Unilever in a $940 million all-cash deal.

In addition to acquiring Sanex--which will expand Colgate's presence in the European skin care market--Colgate also agreed to sell its Colombian laundry detergent business to Unilever for $215 million. 

The Sanex transaction is expected to close by the end of the second quarter--following regulatory approval from the European Commission. The closing of the detergent sale is contingent on completion of the Sanex deal and regulatory approval in Colombia.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is advising Colgate on both deals, according to a press release from Colgate. Wachtell's team is being led by corporate partners Patricia Vlahakis and Joshua Cammaker. Antitrust partner Damian Didden, executive compensation partner Adam Shapiro, and tax partners Jodi Schwartz and T. Eiko Stange also advised. Andrew Hendry is Colgate-Palmolive's general counsel. 

Unilever has turned to longtime outside counsel Slaughter and May on the Sanex divestiture. The firm's team is led by London M&A partner Gary Eaborn and includes pensions partner Charles Cameron, IP partner Cathy Connolly, and competition partner Michael Rose. Tonia Lovell is Unilever's chief legal officer.

Herrick, Feinstein is advising Unilever only on the acquisition of the laundry detergent business. On that deal, New York and Newark-based corporate partner Edward Stevenson and associate Johanna Ferraro--together with Unilever associate general counsel David Schwartz--are representing the company.

For Rotterdam-based Unilever, the sale of Sanex is linked to its 2009 purchase of the personal care business of Sara Lee. One of the conditions of that $1.9 billion deal , as dictated by European Union regulators, was that Unilever divest Sanex, as The New York Times reports . Eaborn led the way on the 2009 transaction. Slaughter and May also is advising Unilever on its not yet completed  $3.7 billion transaction  to purchase U.S. hair products company Alberto Culver, announced in September.

In a separate press release from Unilever announcing the Colgate deals, company president Michael Polk called the detergent deal a "bolt-on acquisition" that allows Unilever to improve its position in Latin America. The acquisition will add the Fab, Lavomatic, and Vel brands to Unilever's portfolio.

Slaughter and May, a century in the City

Slaughter and May, a short history

Business operations in the United Kingdom

European Trade Mark Reports

Bills 1850, Public, Pirates (Head Money) Repeal, to Police and Improvement, Volume VI