This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1966. 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 gasoline and waste oil releases at this property originated from underground storage tanks estimated to have been installed around 1966 and operated by the construction business through at least the late 1980s — well within the window when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Documented remediation expenditures already include tank removal, large-scale soil excavation, landfarming, and a multi-year groundwater monitoring program, with additional cleanup work still ahead. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the decades these tanks were in active use may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund the remediation that remains.

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.