if $line =~ /(.*)/ is redundant. The capture matches the whole string and the match always succeeds (even when $line is undef). Instead just use $address = _trim($line), or $address = _trim($line) if defined $line if $line can be undefined.

The .* in s/.* is important because it deletes any junk before the date along with the date, leaving just the address for the following code.