This property has a documented history as a landfill going back to 1980. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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 USTs at this landfill were installed before 1986, placing their operational period within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Seventeen years of documented remediation — UST removals, large-scale soil excavation, dewatering, and long-term project oversight — generated substantial costs tied directly to those pre-1986 installations. Historical carriers who wrote CGL policies during that window may be obligated to reimburse those past cleanup expenditures, and because the site remains under active cleanup oversight, to participate in any future remediation costs that arise.

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.