This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1890. 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.

Industrial operations at this property began in 1890 — nearly a century before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies gave way to claims-made forms with pollution exclusions. Decades of foundry work, railroad equipment manufacturing, and leaded-gasoline storage generated contamination serious enough for EPA to designate the property a hazardous waste site. The remediation costs already incurred and still accumulating — tank removals, investigation, monitoring — trace directly to operations conducted while pre-1986 CGL policies were in force, and the historical carriers who wrote those policies may be obligated both to reimburse past expenditures and to fund the cleanup 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.