This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 oil-and-grease contamination here is the product of habitual, recurring operations — not a one-time incident — and the 1994 notice of violation describes a pattern of accumulation that by its nature began well before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies without effective pollution exclusions were still the industry standard. Policies issued to the operators of this street sweeping business during that pre-1986 window may carry continuing obligations for the contamination those operations produced. The cleanup costs now facing this property — hazard assessment, remedial investigation, and eventual remediation — represent expenditures that historical carriers could plausibly be obligated to fund.

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.