This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1967. 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 underground storage tanks removed from this facility in 1992 were likely installed decades earlier, placing the origin of contamination well before 1986 — the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, hydraulic hoist decommissioning, large-scale soil excavation, off-site disposal, and on-site treatment — represent costs tied directly to those long-running pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the period these tanks were in service may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund the remediation still ahead.

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.