This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1903. 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.

Wood treatment operations at this facility predate 1986 by more than eight decades, placing them squarely within the era of occurrence-based CGL policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation record — 303,000 cubic yards of excavation, engineered containment structures, groundwater extraction and treatment, and habitat restoration — represents substantial expenditures tied directly to those pre-1986 releases, and performance monitoring will continue to generate costs as the site works toward final closure. Historical carriers whose policies were in force during Wyckoff's operational years may be obligated both to recover the remediation costs already incurred and to fund the ongoing monitoring work that lies ahead.

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.