This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1960. 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.

Pentachlorophenol contamination at this site originated from industrial wood treatment operations that ran for roughly two decades before 1986, squarely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The remediation costs already incurred — excavation, landfarming, offsite disposal, and long-term monitoring — along with the additional cleanup and testing still ahead, represent expenditures that historical carriers who covered the wood treatment operation may be obligated both to reimburse 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.