This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1879. 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.

Petroleum and industrial contamination at this site traces to shipyard and bulk-oil operations that began more than a century before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The scale of documented remediation — tens of thousands of cubic yards of contaminated sediment dredged, repeated soil excavations, long-term groundwater and stormwater management — represents substantial expenditures tied directly to those pre-1986 industrial operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the decades this facility operated may still be obligated to recover those costs and fund the ongoing monitoring program.

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.