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 — 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.

The contamination at this property — zinc and petroleum hydrocarbons released during industrial die casting and machinery operations that predate 1986 — originated from the type of slow, ongoing release that occurrence-based CGL policies were written to cover before effective pollution exclusions became standard. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to operators at this site during that pre-1986 window had no enforceable exclusion for these contaminants under Washington law. The documented remediation expenditures here — soil excavation, groundwater removal, vapor control infrastructure, and a continuing Remedial Investigation — represent costs those historical carriers 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.