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 — 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.

Contamination at this landfill was severe enough to warrant National Priorities List designation in 1983, confirming that hazardous substance releases were occurring well before 1986 — the year occurrence-based CGL policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims. The remediation expenditures documented here — groundwater extraction and treatment, cap construction, and decades of monitoring and maintenance — represent the kind of long-tail cleanup costs that pre-1986 occurrence-based policies were structured to address. Historical carriers who issued CGL coverage to the landfill's operators during the period of active disposal may still bear obligation for both past and ongoing remediation costs.

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.