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Karen Kaika <br /> August 7, 1996 <br /> Page 6 <br /> Cal.App,3d 1320. See also Prudential-LME Commercial Ins. Co. v. Reliance Ins. Co. <br /> (1994) 22 Cal.App.4th 1508 (criticizing ACL Technologies for not considering drafting <br /> history)_ <br /> In Iight of Montrose, we submit that a strong argument can now be made to <br /> distinguish the Shell line of cases construing the pollution exclusion. The refusal of <br /> these courts to consider the drafting history of the pollution exclusion is plainly <br /> inconsistent with the California Supreme Court's decision in o se.' <br /> in conclusion, Royal's drafting history may reveal that "sudden and accidental" <br /> was inserted to mean unexpected and unintended; two elements that we have <br /> demonstrated here. <br /> Additionally, even if there were one or more noncovered causes of the <br /> contamination, there should be no application of the pollution exclusions here by virtue <br /> of the doctrine of concurrent causation. In State Farm Mutual Auto Ins. Co. v. <br /> Partridge (1973) 10 Cal.3d 94, 102, the California Supreme Court held that where <br /> injury or damage results fxom two concurrent causes, one covered by an insurance <br /> policy and one excluded, the policy must afford coverage. At TFS, there may be both <br /> covered and noncovered causes of the contamination such as both sudden and <br /> accidental and a non-sudden release, and the contamination may be indivisible <br /> (allocation to particular causes is not feasible). Therefore, the pollution exclusion <br /> would not bar coverage. <br /> There are myriad causes for UST releases, any of which may have been at play <br /> here. USTs' releases are caused by corrosion in some cases. 52 Ted. Reg. 12, 666 <br /> (1987). A variety of factors, including soil conditions, groundwater location, and tank <br /> or piping characteristics affect the rate and extent of corrosion damage to a UST. <br /> Corrosion occurs when hard, manufactured metal breaks down into its natural form as <br /> a soft ore. <br /> Installation failure is also cited as a cause for leaking USTs. The <br /> Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") has estimated that about 25% of releases <br /> The refusal to consider extrinsic evidence is also inconsistent with California Civil Code § 1647, which <br /> provides that "[a] contract may be explained by reference to the circumstances under which it was made" and the <br /> California Supreme Court's decisions regarding the Parol Evidence Rule. These decisions bold that a court may <br /> consider extrinsic evidence to determine whether a contract term is ambiguous. See Pacific Gas & Electric Co. <br /> v. G.W. Thomas Drayage & Rigging Co., Inc. (1968) 69 Cal.2d 33, 37-40. <br /> rr . i r-. ur^.nrru n 11nnau IFUT��TM ". .or CC )Ll �lf1H <br />