This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1970. 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 tanks removed from this property were installed decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures here — excavation and removal of 28 USTs across multiple phases, a remedial investigation and feasibility study, and over a decade of post-removal water monitoring — were incurred to address releases tied to those pre-1986 municipal operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the City of Yakima or Yakima County during that operational window may still be obligated to recover those cleanup costs.

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.