This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1979. 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 contamination at this site is directly attributed to ongoing historic auto dismantling operations that began as early as 1979 — more than six years before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The handling and storage of automotive fluids and batteries over decades created the soil contamination that required remediation, and the carriers who issued policies during that operational window may be obligated to address those cleanup costs. Documented expenditures — soil excavation, disposal of 234 tons of impacted material, and verification sampling — represent recoverable costs, with further work potentially still to come.

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.