Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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Services Today for Retired Judge Marilyn L. Hoffman
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Services are today for retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marilyn L. Hoffman, who died on Sunday, just over a month a shy of her 75th birthday.
Former California Supreme Court Justice Armand Arabian yesterday described Hoffman, one of his former staff attorneys, as “a very sweet person” who “performed just beautifully” throughout her legal career.
He recalled Hoffman as “a rock in my chambers” who “just did brilliantly” on every assignment she was given.
“My heart is broken,” Arabian said.
Hoffman was a Los Angeles native who attended Fairfax High School and then UCLA, where she met her future husband. Hoffman left school and went to work so they could afford to get married.
After her husband completed dental school, Hoffman accompanied him to a U.S. Air Force base in Morocco, where he served in the medical group and she worked as secretary to the base commander.
The couple eventually returned to California and settled in Northridge to raise their three children. Hoffman returned to college at nearby California State University, Northridge, where she earned a degree in sociology, and then went on to attend the San Fernando Valley College of the Law, graduating at the age of 40 in the top 2 percent of her class.
Hoffman began her legal career as staff attorney at this district’s Court of Appeal in 1977. She went to the state Department of Corporations in 1979, then joined the Encino firm that is now Horvitz & Levy in 1980.
She returned to the Court of Appeal in 1983 to become senior attorney for then-Justice Arabian, who was later elevated to the state Supreme Court and is now retired.
In 1987, Hoffman was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court by then-Gov. George Deukmejian and she was elevated to the Superior Court by unification in 2000.
Before she stepped down in June 2003, she told the MetNews that she had “an excellent run” on the bench, “especially the last five years in civil court.”
At that time she said her retirement plans included working on a house that she and her husband had purchased in Encino, traveling, painting, reading and spending time with her grandchildren.
Hoffman is survived by her husband Howard Hoffman; her children Cheryl Hoffman, Brian Hoffman, and Wendy Hoffman; and her seven grandchildren, Alec, Danielle, Erica, Josh, Max, Jake and Talia.
The funeral is scheduled to take place at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary, located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue in Los Angeles at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to “Team Hoffman” in the care of the Women’s Cancer Research Institute-Cedars Sinai Medical Center “Run for Her,” Community Relations Department, 8700 Beverly Blvd., Suite 2416, Los Angeles, 90048.
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