This property has a documented history as a landfill going back to 1997. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

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.

Site sampling detected 1,2-dichloroethane, a contaminant investigators noted may be related to leaded fuels — a product whose widespread use predates 1986. That finding suggests waste deposited at this facility carried contamination originating from operations conducted during the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and lacked effective pollution exclusions. The documented remediation costs here — fire suppression, engineered soil cover, slope stabilization, and long-term environmental monitoring — represent expenditures that historical carriers who insured the waste-generating operations may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.