This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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 underground storage tank responsible for the diesel contamination at this site was installed and operational prior to 1986 — the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Those pre-1986 policies attach to the contamination event regardless of when the release was reported or remediated. Nearly two decades of documented cleanup work to reach No Further Action represents a remediation cost trail that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the tank's operational years may still be obligated to recover.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.