'Ladies night' litigants rack up another courthouse loss.

A suit alleging a Glendale billiard hall had violated the civil rights of men by holding a "ladies night promotion scratched on the break in Los Angeles Superior Court.

A judge has dismissed the complaint against Charles Billiard, at 224 N. Brand Ave., one in a string of such actions brought by Los Angeles consumer attorney Morse Mehrban, who has alleged that special "ladies night" promotions are discriminatory.

Charles Saghi, owner of Charles Billiard, called the lawsuits "legalized extortion."

"We've been in business for 15 years," said Saghi. "We've very reputable. And this is the first time we've had something like this happen."

According to the suit, three men, Elton Campbell, Marc Angelucci and Eldon Ray Blumhorst, went to the pool hall in March 2003 and were asked to pay to play while women's games were free from 5 p.m. to midnight. The men filed suit later that month in L.A Superior Court seeking $12,000 in damages. Mehrban, who represents the three men, did not return calls.

Angelucci, a Los Angeles lawyer, was co-counsel with Mehrban in a 2002 malicious prosecution case brought by Pennsylvania psychiatrist, according to the National Law Journal

Angelucci confirmed he has worked with Mehrban on occasion. In the billiard hall case, he said he sued in his role as president of the L.A. chapter of the National Coalition of Free Men, a Minneapolis-based group formed in 1977.

"One of the ways we combat discrimination against men is through civil rights testing, which is perfectly legitimate," he said. "It's a legitimate way to ferret out discrimination in public and private institutions."

Angelucci, who said he was a party to 10 similar cases still pending, said he does not plan to appeal the Charles Billiard ruling.

Mehrban's other efforts to halt what his clients said were discriminatory practices have met with mixed results. In February, a three-judge panel in 2nd Appellate District threw out claims brought by Mehrban against an auto show producer who gave away chocolates and roses to women on Valentine's Day in 2002. In January, Mehrban negotiated a settlement with a downtown music club that halted such promotions there, though both sides' request for attorneys fees were rejected by an appellate panel.

Jump Start

Three L.A. limousine drivers alleging violations of state wage and hour laws have received another chance to make their case for class-action status.

The drivers initially filed suit on behalf of 500 current and former drivers of CLS Transportation Inc., a Sherman Oaks chauffeured services company, in 2002. An L.A. Superior Court judge denied their request for class certification, but the lower court was ordered to rehear the application in a May 26 appellate ruling.

The three drivers allege CLS fails to pay drivers for time spent waiting between dropping off or picking up clients and does not pay for time spent during the company-mandated arrival time of 30 minutes prior to a scheduled pick up. The alleged actions would be violations of state Labor Codes, orders of the California Industrial Welfare Commission and the California Code of Regulations.

"They're only paying for the productive time that can be billed to the client," said David Mallen, an El Segundo sole practitioner representing the drivers. "If they have an hour in between a run, and they're out there in uniform, waiting at the ready in a CLS limousine, they're not getting paid for that."

The suit also claims CLS has failed to reimburse its drivers for required pagers and deposits they paid for accidents or damages, and illegally deducted those costs from their paychecks. CLS also fails to provide certain meal and rest break periods, as well as itemized wage statements, the suit says.

In 2003, the drivers, seeking unspecified damages, lost their attempt to be certified as a class that would include drivers who worked for CLS from 1998 to May 2002, when the suit was filed.

A three-judge panel in 2nd Appellate District reversed the decision last month, saying the drivers should have had more time to seek certification.

Robert Millman, a senior partner at Littler Mendelson PC representing CLS, said he would fight the certification motion again in L.A. Superior Court.

"There's been an epidemic of wage-hour class actions filed over the last several years," Millman said. "It's just one of many."

Latham Leader

Latham & Watkins LLP's Martha Jordan stepped down this month after six years as managing partner of the L.A. office.

John Clair will replace Jordan, who represented Maguire Properties Inc. in its initial public offering last year. Clair is a tax partner who has served on the firm's executive committee for the past four years. Jordan said she extended her five-year term because of economic conditions.

"January of '03 was an awkward time from an economic standpoint," she said. "The first half of '03, there were virtually no corporate transactions. It would've been an uncertain time to change leadership. Now, at this point, we're buried in work."

Dean Retires

Leigh Taylor, dean and chief executive of Southwestern University School of Law, will retire this month after 26 years.

Under Taylor's leadership, the law school acquired and restored the Bullocks Wilshire Building, which houses the law school's library, and established the Donald E. Biederman National Entertainment and Media Law Institute, the first graduate law program in entertainment and media law.

A search committee that includes Southwestern Board of Trustees and faculty will begin immediately to find a replacement.

Staff reporter Amanda Bronstad can be reached at [phone] ext. 225, or at [e-mail].