This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

The mercury, DDT, and metal contamination documented at this property is the direct product of chemical manufacturing operations conducted for decades before 1986 — operations covered by occurrence-based CGL policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington at the time. The scope of documented remediation work — tank removal, soil excavation, and disposal of contaminated ponds and alum mud piles — reflects a contamination legacy tied squarely to those pre-1986 manufacturing years. Historical carriers whose policies covered Stauffer Chemical or its predecessors during that window may be obligated both to fund remaining cleanup costs and to recover expenditures already incurred.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.