This property has a documented history as a landfill predating 1986. 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 site originates from the City of Seattle's own historical landfill operations — a municipal entity that, like private industrial operators of that era, would have carried occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies covering claims arising from those operations. The fill material placed during those pre-1986 municipal landfill years is the direct source of the dangerous and regulated waste now requiring disposal. That chain of custody — from City-operated landfill to present-day regulated cleanup — anchors the liability exposure squarely to the historical carriers who insured Seattle's landfill operations before pollution exclusions became standard.

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.