This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1977. 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.

American Can Co's machine shop operations — and the solvent wastes, waste oil, and paint sludges they generated — occurred entirely within the window when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard in Washington and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented generation and manifested disposal of mixed hazardous wastes at this site represents precisely the kind of industrial contamination exposure those pre-1986 policies were written to address. Historical carriers who issued CGL coverage to American Can Co or the property owner during the 1977–1986 operational window may bear remediation cost obligations that have never been pursued.

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.