This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1968. 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.

The PCE and petroleum hydrocarbon contamination here traces to automotive service operations that have occupied these warehouses since at least 1968 — nearly two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still lacked effective pollution exclusions. The contamination pattern is characteristic of gradual, routine releases from repeated degreaser use over many years, precisely the type of ongoing pollution event those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. Excavation, off-site soil disposal, and extended regulatory oversight represent documented remediation expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during this property's operational window may be obligated to recover and to fund going forward.

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.