This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1975. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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.

Decades of scrap yard operations at this property — including dumping of used oil, widespread soil staining, and burial of solid waste — took place from 1975 onward, well before the 1986 threshold at which occurrence-based CGL policies began incorporating effective pollution exclusions. That contamination reflects the cumulative result of long-running industrial activity during precisely the era those policies were designed to cover. The investigation and remediation costs the current property owner now faces represent expenditures that historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during Butcher's operating years may be obligated to fund.

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.