This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1966. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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.

Petroleum contamination at this site traces directly to underground storage tanks installed and operated from 1966 through at least 1985 — two full decades during which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Tank corrosion and pinhole failures over that period created the subsurface contamination now requiring remediation. The cleanup costs the property faces going forward — groundwater investigation, remedial design, and any required treatment — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose CGL policies were in effect during the years the tanks were leaking.

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.