Panda Management Evades Pollution Exclusion

Panda Management Co., Inc. v. Wausau Underwriters Ins. Co., 62 Cal. App. 4th 992 (1998), depub., 1998 Cal. LEXIS 4376 (July 8, 1998) (Environmental Coverage/Property Damage) (The court depublished a ruling that found that the "absolute pollution" exclusion extended to disposal of cooking oil into Panda's kitchen drains. Consistent with the logic of this depublication, it can be surmised that while the discharge or release of water, waste grease and cooking oils into the internal sewer system might be found to be pollution if that system were linked directly to the bay when not subject to a water treatment facility, the conduct did not make those items a pollutant in the context of their discharge into a treated sewer system.)