This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1899. 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.

Foundry operations at this property date to 1899, placing the origin of contamination nearly nine decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The contamination here — spent foundry sand and slag deposited as fill during the early twentieth century — is precisely the kind of slow, historical industrial release those pre-1986 policies were written to address. Investigation and remediation costs now facing the property owner could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force during those many decades of foundry operation.

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.