This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1968. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
Cello Bag Co. Inc. began manufacturing operations at this Tukwila property in the late 1960s, producing plastic bags and packaging through extrusion, lamination, printing, and bag production — processes that involved solvents stored in underground storage tanks and cooling water held in underground vaults. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included UST removals and the decommissioning and closure of three underground vaults in the 1990s and 1995–1996, with contaminated vault water pumped out and disposed of. The site has since reached No Further Action status, though groundwater, soil vapor, and indoor air monitoring initiated in 2017 must continue under an Environmental Covenant. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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.
Manufacturing operations at this property began in the late 1960s, placing the installation and active use of solvent-bearing underground storage tanks well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation trail — UST removals, vault decommissioning, contaminated-water disposal, and years of mandated groundwater, soil vapor, and indoor air monitoring — reflects costs that flow directly from those pre-1986 industrial operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Cello Bag Co. during its manufacturing years may be obligated to recover those expenditures.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
