Roslyn Chasan (September 22, 1932 – February 24, 2023) was an American lawyer in both corporate and private practice.
Early life and education
Roslyn Pearl Lefkowitz was born September 22, 1932, in Luzrne, Pennsylvania to Herold and Esther (née Neumann) Lefkowitz[1] as the oldest of four siblings.
In their early lives as a couple, Chasan worked as a nurse in her husband's medical practice and in 1958, she was elected president of the Delphian Society,[6] a national organization that promoted the education of women in the mid-twentieth century.[7]
In the early 1960s, Roslyn decided to become a lawyer. Her husband was fully supportive and remarked at the time, "You helped me thought medical school – now I will help you [through law school]."[2] Starting in 1962, for four and a half years, Chasan attended law schoolat night while raising their three sons, each of whom were under five years old.[13] In 1967, she earned her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Southwestern University School of Law[14] and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1968 after passing the bar examination.[15] At the time of her graduation, women accounted for less than one percent of the student body.[16]
Legal and corporate career
In 1968, Chasan set up a general practice[17] law office in Torrance, a city within Los Angeles, and by 1969 had become the general counsel for the Great Western Land & Cattle Company.[18] Her role expanded at the organization when she was named vice president and subsequently was given operational responsibility for the company including its securities offerings.[19]
Chasan remained directly involved in the work of the company, organizing and participating in the last overland cattle drive with hundreds of head of cattle from Bluewater, New Mexico across America's spine into southern Colorado near Pagosa Springs.[20] The 192 mile herding was completed ahead of schedule,[21][22] and required that she bring successful resolution to several complex territorial access legal negotiations with various governments including that of the Navajo tribe.[23]
In 1974, Chasan represented Ingrid and Heinz Breimhorst on behalf of their son Mark Breimhorst in their case[27] against chemical company Richardson-Merrell. The jury decided that the widely used fertility drug Clomid caused Mark Breimhorst's deformities, and awarded the family $530,000.[28]
In the early 1980s, the aging city-owned storm drain system fell into a state of disrepair[39] and after a California Water Service Companywater main broke, 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.[40] A jury found the city was negligent[39] in their duties to maintain the storm drain system[38] and the city settled the case.[41]
Later years and death
In the 1990s, Chasan and her husband Fred were early backers of eMusic, the first digital media streaming platform, which was founded by their son Mark Chasan.[42]
Chasan and her husband moved to Rancho Santa Fe, California, in the late 1980s after she retired from practicing law. After the death of her husband in 2005, Chasan remained in Southern California until her death of natural causes on February 24, 2023.[8]
