This property has a documented history as a landfill predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property, identified officially as Puyallup Landfill A, is a former waste disposal site at 13300 E Main in Puyallup, Pierce County. An Early Notice Letter has been issued documenting contamination at the site, including lead in soil, petroleum gasoline, and other deleterious substances — among them waste materials deposited in sediments. No active cleanup work has commenced; the site is awaiting remediation under the 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 and petroleum contamination confirmed at this site is consistent with landfill operations that predate 1986 — leaded gasoline was effectively phased out of use well before the mid-1990s, and its presence in soil here is a reliable marker of waste disposal activity reaching back decades. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the operators and potentially to predecessor entities during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington and remain enforceable today. The investigation, remedial design, and eventual cleanup of a former landfill represent substantial future costs that historical carriers may be obligated to fund.
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.
