This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1958. 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 — chromium, nickel, and lead deposited through decades of electroplating activity — originated from operations that ran from 1958 until 1994, spanning the entire era when occurrence-based CGL policies were written without effective pollution exclusions. Historical carriers who issued liability coverage to Aladdin Plating Co Inc during that pre-1986 window may still be obligated under those policies. The costs already incurred — building demolition, contaminated soil and concrete removal, groundwater monitoring — and the additional excavation and long-term monitoring still proposed represent expenditures those historical carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund 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.