State's high court declines hearing on two L.A. suits.

THE California Supreme Court denied requests to hear two separate Los Angeles cases this month.

In her petition, Dorriah Page, former chief executive of now-defunct Ceryx Inc. of Santa Paula, sought to overturn an appellate court's dismissal of her libel claim against the Los Angeles Times. Page claimed an article in the newspaper forced her to resign and her company to file for bankruptcy protection on Nov. 6, 2001, because it reported she lied about obtaining patents on Ceryx products, which include low-emission catalytic converters lot diesel engines.

Kelli Sager, a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP representing the Times and the reporters and editors named in the suit, said the case would return to L.A. Superior Court to determine court and attorneys' fees owed the newspaper.

Page's attorney, Paul Hoffman, at Schonbrun Desimone Seplow Harris & Hoffman LLP in Venice, did not return calls.

In a separate case, the Supreme Court refused to hear the petition of a Sherman Oaks chauffeuring company sued by three limousine drivers for wage and hour violations. The drivers, who sued in 2002, are seeking class action for 500 current and former drivers of CLS Transportation Inc. They claim the drivers were not paid for time spent waiting between dropping off or picking up clients or for the time waiting under a company-mandated early arrival time.

An L.A. Superior Court judge agreed with CLS that individual factors prohibit any class certification in the case, but an appellate court granted more time for the drivers to make their case for class certification. In its petition, CLS sought to reverse that ruling.

El Segundo sole practitioner David Mallen, representing the drivers, said he planned to resume discovery once the case returns to L.A. Superior Court. Robert Millman, a partner at Littler Mendelson PC representing CLS, declined comment.

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