This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop predating 1986. 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.

Contamination at this facility is explicitly attributed to releases from older used oil storage systems — language that points to operational origins predating 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Vehicle maintenance operations at an installation of this scale were underway well before that threshold, meaning historical carriers who issued CGL coverage during that window may bear obligations tied to the documented contamination. The remediation costs already incurred — tank removal, concrete vault work, soil excavation, vault water extraction — and the characterization and monitoring work still ahead represent a cost trail those pre-1986 policies could plausibly be required to fund.

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.