This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop predating 1986. 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 property — petroleum free product, methylene chloride, and lead — is consistent with decades of auto body and engine repair operations that predate 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. More than twenty-five years of documented remediation work, from soil excavation and free product recovery to well abandonment and ongoing site management, represent substantial cleanup expenditures tied to those historical operations. Carriers who issued CGL policies during the pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover costs already incurred and to fund the remediation still underway.

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.