This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1950. 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.

The arsenic, chromium, lead, and slag contamination at this site traces to industrial operations that were active for decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The multi-phase remediation record here — soil removal, capped areas, groundwater interception, and tank removals on adjacent parcels — represents the kind of extended, cost-intensive cleanup that pre-1986 policies were written to address. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to operators during the Tacoma Sash & Door manufacturing era and the log sorting years that followed may remain obligated to recover incurred costs and fund remediation that is still ongoing.

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.