This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
The Euzarraga Property in Sumner was the site of illegal car wrecking operations, during which numerous vehicles were disassembled on-site, leaving visibly stained soils, a petroleum sheen on standing water, and at least one buried drum. Site structures include a house built in 1950 and an outbuilding from 1980, establishing that these activities predated 1986. Despite confirmation of arsenic, chromium, and lead contamination in groundwater and repeated communications from Ecology to the property owner about the need for cleanup, no characterization or remediation work has been performed. 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.
Arsenic, chromium, and lead — the contaminants documented in groundwater here — are the signature residues of vehicle disassembly and parts storage, activities tied to this property's structures dating to 1950. That is the contamination profile that CGL policies issued during those pre-1986 decades were written to cover: slow-accumulating, diffuse releases from ongoing industrial operations rather than sudden spills. With no remediation yet begun, the full cost of investigation and cleanup lies ahead, and historical carriers whose policies covered operations at this site during its active years may be the most direct source of funding.
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.
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
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
