This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility predating 1986. 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 petroleum and lead contamination at this transit maintenance base is consistent with decades of vehicle fueling and servicing operations that predate 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Lead levels in the soil point to an era when leaded gasoline was standard — placing the contamination origin squarely within the pre-1986 policy window. The remediation costs already incurred and still ahead — excavation, soil profiling, regulated disposal — represent expenditures that historical carriers who covered the facility during those earlier decades of operation may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.