This property has a documented history as a farm and agricultural operation going back to 1965. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
The Desimone Trust property in Seattle has been in agricultural use since being homesteaded in the early 1900s, with commercial vegetable farming documented from 1964 through 1988. Ace Galvanizing has operated at or adjacent to the property since 1965, and Advance Electroplating has been present since 1950; soil sampling conducted in 1975 and 1976 and waste disposal events recorded in 1977 established a documented history of pre-1986 industrial activity affecting the site. A Phase II investigation is now underway, with plans to excavate four test trenches to verify a geophysical anomaly suspected of representing buried drums of plating waste on the property. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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.
Both Ace Galvanizing and Advance Electroplating were operating at this site decades before 1986 — the year pollution exclusions became standard in Commercial General Liability policies — and the waste disposal events tied to those operations date to at least 1977. If the suspected buried drums of plating waste are confirmed by the Phase II investigation, the excavation, waste characterization, and remediation costs that follow will trace directly to that pre-1986 industrial activity. Historical CGL carriers who issued occurrence-based policies to Ace Galvanizing or Advance Electroplating during that operational window may be obligated to fund the cleanup costs the property owner now faces.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
