This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1930. 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 originated from industrial waste handling operations active for decades before 1986, including documented releases during the 1970s and underground storage tanks installed well before the mid-1980s. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the operators during that pre-1986 window contained no effective pollution exclusion in Washington and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation work here — subsurface barrier infrastructure, multi-year groundwater extraction and monitoring, soil vapor extraction, and vapor intrusion mitigation extending to 33 neighboring properties — represents expenditures that 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.