This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1974. 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 stems from petroleum, solvent, and chemical recycling operations that began in 1974 — more than a decade before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The scale of documented remediation — millions of gallons of waste removed, thousands of drums recovered, soil excavation, capping, and vapor intrusion controls still being implemented — represents substantial cleanup expenditures tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the facility's early operating years may be obligated both to recover past costs and to fund the remediation work that remains.

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.