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.

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.

Lead contamination from shooting range operations that began more than three decades before 1986 is precisely the type of long-duration, pre-cutoff release that occurrence-based CGL policies were designed to address. Carriers who issued policies to the club during its early operating decades — before effective pollution exclusions became standard in Washington — may still bear obligations for the site's investigation and remediation costs. With no cleanup or containment in place, the full cost of future remediation remains ahead, and historical insurance proceeds represent a viable path to funding it.

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.