This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1929. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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 here — petroleum hydrocarbons from USTs and machinery, and heavy metals from foundry and metalworking operations — originates from identifiable industrial operators including Alaskan Copper Works, Ash Grove Cement West, and Port of Seattle terminals, with tank installations documented as far back as 1929. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to those operators across the pre-1986 decades carried no effective pollution exclusion and may be enforceable both to recover costs already incurred — EHC-O injection, soil excavation, and years of monitoring — and to fund the remediation work that remains in progress at this multi-parcel site.

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.