This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1973. 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 at this property were estimated to have been installed around 1973 — more than a decade before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The petroleum contamination discovered during the 1998 UST removal is the type of gradual release tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, excavation and treatment of contaminated backfill, water disposal, and fourteen years of regulatory oversight — represent costs that historical CGL carriers who covered the facility during the operational window may still be obligated to fund.

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.