This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1972. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This Kent property operated as a Fields Corporation manufacturing facility from approximately 1972 to 2006, producing roofing and waterproofing products through bulk mixing of asphalt emulsion, asphalt cutback, mineral spirits, and dry and liquid materials. Cleanup activities have included excavation of contaminated soil in 1993, removal of aboveground storage tanks following the close of manufacturing operations, and demolition of the production structures in 2018. Remedial investigations and quarterly groundwater monitoring have been ongoing since the mid-2000s, with a draft cleanup action plan proposing additional soil excavation and long-term compliance monitoring. 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.
Manufacturing operations at this property — involving petroleum-based solvents and asphalt products — began in 1972 and continued through at least 1983, more than a decade before the 1986 threshold at which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims. Historical carriers who wrote CGL coverage for Fields Corporation during those production years had no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain potentially obligated to fund this site's remediation. The documented cost trail — soil excavation, tank removals, structural demolition, and years of ongoing groundwater monitoring — represents expenditures those carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.
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.
