This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1970. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 at this property traces to lumber manufacturing and petroleum storage operations that were active well before 1986 — the USTs alone were installed no later than 1970, placing them squarely in the era when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Cleanup costs the property owner now faces — ongoing remediation design and future site work — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force when the contamination first occurred during those pre-1986 manufacturing operations.

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.