This property has a documented history as a landfill going back to 1950. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 driving cleanup obligations at this site — leachate migration, landfill gas generation, and groundwater quality degradation — originated from decades of municipal solid waste disposal that began in the early 1950s, long before effective pollution exclusions entered the CGL market in 1986. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to the landfill's operators during that pre-1986 window may carry enforceable obligations tied to those historical releases. The cleanup costs still ahead — continued long-term monitoring, potential additional remediation, and ongoing financial assurance — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force while the contamination was accumulating.

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.