This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1975. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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 contamination here traces directly to vehicle repair and fluid-handling practices that began in 1975 — more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the prevailing form and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The thirty-plus years of stormwater releases and oily waste accumulation that drove this site into the VCP represent exactly the kind of gradual, long-running contamination those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the operator during that operational window may be obligated both to recover remediation costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup work that remains ahead.

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.