This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1969. 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 petroleum contamination at this site traces to chronic fueling and vehicle-maintenance practices that were ongoing well before 1986 — the year occurrence-based CGL policies effectively stopped covering pollution claims in Washington. A fleet operation predating 1986 would have been insured under policies with no functional pollution exclusion, and the gradual, ground-surface spills documented here are precisely the type of slow release those policies were written to address. The property owner now faces the full cost of investigation and cleanup for contamination whose origins lie squarely in the pre-1986 operational window, making historical carriers a plausible source of recovery.

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.