Just an update & FYI for anyone whom was curious.
My '01 did have the rear main seal leak and it was replaced by my local lexus dealer Superior Lexus of Kansas City under the certified warranty (as I believed it should be after re-reading the warranty documentation).
The interesting thing to me was what was charged for the service and then charged off to warranty. The replacement of the rear main seal was charged at just under $900 including taxes and shop fees. I was impressed by how little the repair would have been compared to what some others here have been quoted by their dealers (I would have figured this was a flat flag rate repair).
I continue to be happy with my CPO experience (almost deters me from buying a new one).
KK