This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. 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.

Regulatory investigators characterized this property as a 'major dumping ground for decades,' placing the contamination's origins — petroleum waste, hazardous chemicals, and battery waste from wrecking and salvage operations — well before 1986. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies written for industrial operators during that pre-1986 period carried no effective pollution exclusion and may still be enforceable against carriers who insured those operations. The cleanup costs documented here — containment, waste oil removal, battery disposal, and ongoing remediation — represent expenditures that historical carriers 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.