Roslyn Chasan

Roslyn Chasan(September 22, 1932 – February 24, 2023) was an Americanlawyerin both corporate and private practice.
Roslyn Pearl Lefkowitz was born September 22, 1932, inLuzrne,Pennsylvaniato Herold and Esther (née Neumann) Lefkowitzas the oldest of four siblings.
The family moved toLos Angeles,Californiawhen Chasan was a teenager, and she graduated fromSusan Miller Dorsey High School. She then completed anassociate’s degreein merchandising from theLos Angeles City College’sMerchandising Institute.
She was set up on a blind date withFred Chasan,a youngmedical school studentwho had served as amedicin theEuropean theatreofWorld War IIfor theUnited States Army.The couple married in January 1954and moved toRancho Palos Verdes.
In their early lives as a couple, Chasan worked as anursein her husband's medical practice and in 1958, she was elected president of theDelphian Society,a national organization that promoted the education of women in the mid-twentieth century.
The couple had three sons,Mark, Jeff (father ofJake),and Paul.Mark later followed in his mother’s footsteps, becoming anattorneyandentrepreneur, foundingeMusic, the firstmusic streaminganddigital music distributioncompany.
In the early 1960s, Chasan decided to become alawyer. Her husband was fully supportive and remarked at the time, "You helped me thought medical school – now I will help you [through law school]."Starting in 1962, for four and a half years, Chasan attendedlaw schoolat nightwhile raising their three sons, each of whom were under five years old.In 1967, she earned herJuris Doctor,magna cum laude, fromSouthwestern University School of Lawand was admitted to theState Bar of Californiain 1968 after passing thebar examination.At the time of her graduation, women accounted for less than one percent of the student body.
In 1968, Chasan set up a general practicelaw office inTorrance, a city withinLos Angeles, and by 1969 had become thegeneral counselfor the Great Western Land & Cattle Company.Her role expanded at the organization when she was named vice president and subsequently was given operational responsibility for the company including itssecurities offerings.
Chasan remained directly involved in the work of the company, organizing and participating in the last overland cattle drive with hundreds of head ofcattlefromBluewater,New Mexicoacross America's spine into southernColoradonearPagosa Springs.The 192 mile herding was completed ahead of schedule,and required that she bring successful resolution to several complexterritorial accesslegal negotiations with various governments including that of theNavajotribe.
In 1970, Chasan helped implementafter-school enrichment programsfor students inLos Angeles public schools.
Between 1972 and 1974, Chasan was named the head of several key committees of theCalifornia Trial Lawyers Association,the nation's largest state trial bar.
In 1974, Chasan represented Ingrid and Heinz Breimhorst on behalf of their son Mark Breimhorst in their caseagainst chemical companyRichardson-Merrell. The jury decided that the widely used fertility drugClomidcaused Mark Breimhorst's deformities, and awarded the family $530,000.
By the early 1980s, Chasan had been appointedjudge pro temporeinLos Angeles County court systemand anarbitratorfor theState Bar of California.
In April 1982,California GovernorJerry Brownappointed Chasan to theCalifornia Law Revision Commission.During her term at the agency,the commission had a 98% success rate with recommendations being passed.In August 1982, she was appointed to the board of theTorrance Memorial Hospital Medical Centeras a trustee.
Chasan and her husband Fred built a largeMediterranean-stylevilla inPalos Verdes Estates, Californiain the late 1970s.The house was built atop scenic cliffswith a panoramic view of thePacific OceanonPaseo del Mar.
In the early 1980s, the aging city-ownedstorm drainsystem fell into a state of disrepairand after aCalifornia Water Service Companywater mainbroke, a landslide destabilized the cliffs supporting the house's foundation. The family was forced to evacuate the house in 1981 and within two years the remaining portions of the property had either been demolished or fallen into the sea.Ajuryfound the city wasnegligentin their duties to maintain the storm drain systemand the city settled the case.
In the 1990s, Chasan and her husband Fred were early backers ofeMusic, the first digital media streaming platform, which was founded by their son,Mark Chasan.
Chasan and her husband moved toRancho Santa Fe,California, in the late 1980s, after she retired from practicing law. After the death of her husband in 2005, Chasan remained inSouthern Californiauntil her death of natural causes on February 24, 2023.