This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1977. 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 site's commercial history extends to approximately 1977 — nearly a decade before 1986 — meaning occurrence-based CGL policies issued to operators of this property during that window predate the pollution-exclusion language that became standard in later years. The petroleum hydrocarbon contamination here, tied directly to the on-site oil/water separator and decades of accumulated commercial usage, is the type of gradual release those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. The documented remediation expenditures — separator replacement, multi-year investigations, and contaminated-waste disposal — represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund as cleanup continues.

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.