Were you displaced from your home? Visit our Garden Grove resident evacuation page.
GKN Aerospace MMA Tank Leak — Orange County Business Losses Attorneys
If the GKN Aerospace chemical leak in Garden Grove forced your business to close, McCune Law Group wants to hear from you. Our attorneys have represented business owners in Orange County before, including in the 2021 Amplify Energy oil spill class action, and we are investigating claims for business losses tied to this evacuation.
Request a confidential case review — call or complete our secure form. Confidential. No cost. No obligation.
What Happened in Garden Grove
On May 21, 2026, a 34,000-gallon storage tank at the GKN Aerospace facility at 12122 Western Avenue began venting methyl methacrylate vapor. By May 22, roughly 40,000 Orange County residents and the businesses that serve them were under mandatory evacuation. On May 23, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency in Orange County. Orange County Fire Authority officials publicly said the tank was going to do one of two things: split open and spill 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of chemical, or go into thermal runaway and explode.
The evacuation zone runs north to Ball Road, south to Trask Avenue, east to Dale Street, and west to Valley View Street. That perimeter sweeps through commercial corridors in Garden Grove, Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, and Westminster. Every day the order stays in place, businesses inside the perimeter are losing revenue they cannot get back.
Who McCune Law Group Is Investigating Claims For
If your business is inside the evacuation zone or your operations depend on customers, employees, suppliers, or deliveries that have to cross it, you may have a claim. We are reviewing cases for:
- Restaurants, cafes, and food service with closed dining rooms, spoiled inventory, lost reservations, and canceled catering
- Retail and storefront businesses shut out of their location during peak hours and weekend traffic
- Personal services (salons, barbershops, gyms, medical, dental, veterinary) with canceled appointments and lost recurring revenue
- Professional services (accounting, legal, real estate, insurance, financial advisory) locked out of offices and client files
- Hotels, short-term rentals, and event venues with canceled bookings, refunds, and lost catering contracts
- Construction, trades, and service vehicles unable to reach job sites inside the perimeter
- Manufacturers, warehouses, and B2B operators with shipping delays, missed deliveries, and idle employees
- Independent contractors and gig workers whose income depended on the businesses or households now evacuated
- Homeowners, renters, and property owners displaced by the evacuation, including business owners who also live inside the zone. Visit our Garden Grove resident evacuation page for the dedicated resident-claim path.
If you have both a business claim and a residence claim, we gather information on both at the same time.
What You May Be Able to Recover
Every business is different. Depending on your facts, potential damages include:
- Lost revenue from forced closure and reduced foot traffic
- Payroll and benefits paid to employees during the shutdown
- Spoiled or unusable inventory (perishable food, fresh flowers, cold-chain product)
- Rent, utilities, lease payments, and other fixed costs incurred while closed
- Canceled contracts, missed deliveries, and forfeited deposits
- Costs to relocate temporarily, secure the premises, or restock
- Diminished property value tied to proximity of the facility
- Business interruption losses beyond what your insurance will pay
- Residential losses if you also live in the evacuation zone: hotel costs, meals, pet boarding, lost wages, exposure-related medical concerns
Save your receipts, POS reports, payroll runs, deposit logs, vendor invoices, and any insurance correspondence. Documentation drives recovery.
Class Action or Individual Representation
We are evaluating both tracks at the same time. For most business owners, the right answer depends on the size of the loss and the strength of the documentation. We are actively looking for a business class representative to lead a class action on behalf of similarly affected Garden Grove area businesses. If your business has the right facts, that role can carry meaningful weight in the litigation and in any eventual settlement.
For larger or unique losses, an individual case may be the better path. We will give you a straight answer about which makes more sense for your business before you sign anything.
Why McCune Law Group Represents Businesses and Homeowners
Our attorneys have more than 35 years of experience protecting the interests of consumers and small business owners in Southern California. Large corporations often pay little mind to how their actions affect smaller businesses, and when they are called to court they assume they can out-resource the other side. Our team believes large companies should never shirk their responsibilities to the public or to the smaller businesses around them. The firm has recovered more than $1 billion for our clients.*
In 2021, when an Amplify Energy oil pipeline off Huntington Beach spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into Orange County waters, restaurants, fishers, property owners, performers, and event organizers from Huntington Beach down to Dana Point lost revenue, lost shifts, and lost the ability to operate. McCune Law Group filed a class action against Amplify on behalf of Orange County businesses, fishers, and property owners. The litigation resolved through a $50 million federal class settlement: $34 million to the Fisher Class, $9 million to the Property Class, and $7 million to the Waterfront Tourism Class.
Our commercial litigation practice does the same kind of work outside of environmental cases. We represent businesses and stakeholders in shareholder derivative cases, business-to-business disputes, and corporate misconduct claims. Attorneys Michele Vercoski, Yasmin Vahid, and Rich McCune lead that practice. We work on contingency. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you.**
If you are deciding who can stand up for your business in a fight with a corporate defendant and its insurers, those are the credentials that matter.
On Contingency, No Hourly Fees
We handle these business cases on contingency. No retainer. No hourly bills. No upfront costs. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you.**
That structure exists for a reason. Most business owners cannot afford to fund years of complex litigation against an aerospace manufacturer and its insurance carriers. We can. When we win, our fee comes from the recovery.
Talk to Us Before You Talk to the Insurance Adjusters or Sign With Another Firm
If your business is inside the perimeter, calls are already coming in. Insurance adjusters. Corporate representatives. Other plaintiffs’ firms looking to add a name to a complaint. Their goals are not the same as yours. Get a confidential second opinion from a firm with a real track record on business-side cases before you sign anything.
Request a confidential case review — call or complete our secure form. Confidential. No cost. No obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
My business is just outside the evacuation line. Do I still have a claim?
Possibly. Businesses one or two blocks outside a hard perimeter often lose nearly as much revenue as those inside, because customers, employees, and deliveries cannot get through. We evaluate based on actual impact, not just the line on a map.
Insurance covers business interruption. Why do I need a lawyer?
Insurance is an option, but not the only one. Most business interruption policies have exclusions, sub-limits, and waiting periods. A claim against the party responsible for the leak is separate from your insurance recovery and can cover losses your policy does not.
What if my business is profitable on paper but my margins are thin?
Thin margins make these claims more important, not less. A two-week closure can destroy the cash position of a profitable business. We will help you document the real impact.
How long do I have to file?
There are legal deadlines that apply to claims like these, and they vary depending on the type of claim and who is involved. A confidential case review can help you understand what applies to your business.
What documents should I start gathering now?
Daily sales or POS reports for the affected period and the same period last year, payroll records, vendor invoices and delivery logs, lease and utility bills, insurance correspondence, photos of the inside of your business at closure, and any text or email confirming canceled bookings or contracts.
Will joining a class action limit my recovery?
Not necessarily. For many small businesses with similar losses, a class action is the most efficient way to recover. For larger or unique losses, an individual case may produce a better outcome. We will tell you which path fits your business before you decide.
Can McCune Law Group represent me for my home, personal injury, or family exposure claim as well as my business claim?
Yes. Many business owners inside the evacuation zone also have residence, employment, or exposure claims for themselves or their families. We screen all of your potential claims at one intake. You do not have to manage separate cases or hire a separate firm for the residential side.
What does it cost to hire McCune Law Group?
Nothing up front. We handle these cases on contingency. You owe no attorney’s fees unless we recover money for you.
Disclosures
* Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is evaluated on its own facts.
** Costs and expenses may be advanced and recovered from a settlement or judgment when one is obtained.
Related: Environmental practice | Garden Grove resident evacuation page
Attorney Advertising
McCune Law Group, APC is responsible for this advertisement. The information provided on this website is for general information purposes only. The information you obtain is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Use of this website or submission of the online form does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Counsel Richard McCune is licensed to practice only in the state of California. The law firm of McCune Law Group has attorneys licensed to practice law in AZ, CA, GA, MO, NY, and PA. McCune Law Group is a national firm that brings lawsuits in a majority of the states. In states where one of its attorneys is not barred, it does so by filing the complaint along with local counsel barred in that state.
The results discussed do not guarantee, warrant, or predict the results in future cases.
