This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1970. 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.

Chemical manufacturing and distribution operations at this property began in 1970 and involved drainfield discharges of solvents, detergents, and related compounds over a 15-year period ending in 1985 — entirely within the window when occurrence-based CGL policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation costs — tank farm removal, drainfield decommissioning, building decontamination, off-site waste disposal, and ongoing groundwater monitoring — trace directly to those pre-1986 manufacturing and discharge practices. Historical carriers whose policies covered this facility during the 1970s and early 1980s may remain obligated both to recover those past expenditures and to fund continuing cleanup work.

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.