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.
Boeing purchased approximately 68 acres near Paine Field in Snohomish County, roughly 9 acres of which served as a skeet shooting range whose operations deposited lead shot and clay pigeon shards across the property. Documented response work included excavation of 2,185 cubic yards of lead-impacted soil, placement in an onsite containment area, and capping with a 10-mil liner and impervious surfaces including blacktop and hangars. Three groundwater monitoring wells were installed in 1998 and sampled through at least 2003 to track subsurface conditions. The property is now used for aircraft-related industries, and the site remains in the Awaiting Cleanup stage under Washington's Standard Cleanup program. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 lead contamination here accumulated from skeet shooting activities that pre-date 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies — still the industry standard — carried no effective pollution exclusion and were written to cover exactly this kind of slow, cumulative release. With the site still awaiting formal cleanup under Standard Cleanup, the full cost of remediation lies ahead: investigation, remedy design, and treatment of the lead-affected soil and groundwater. Historical CGL carriers whose policies were in force during the decades of shooting operations at this property may be obligated to fund that coming cleanup, potentially offsetting a substantial portion of the property owner's exposure.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
