This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1941. 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.

Industrial operations at this property — steel fabrication, sandblasting, welding, and on-site fuel storage — began more than four decades before 1986 and generated contamination that was identified as far back as 1993 through historical investigations. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the facility's operators during that pre-1986 period carried no effective pollution exclusion and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation costs here — UST removals, shoreline debris cleanup, demolition, and an active RI/FS and CAP process still underway — represent expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund as cleanup advances.

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.