This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1930. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property operated as a shotgun range for the Issaquah Sportsmen Club from the 1930s through the early 1990s, during which time lead-containing ammunition and clay pigeons composed of tar and asphalt were discharged across the site on an ongoing basis. Sampling of the former range confirmed elevated concentrations of lead, cadmium, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — attributable to the spent shot, gunpowder combustion residue, and clay pigeon constituents. At some point following closure, the Issaquah School District conducted excavation and soil-moving activities to level the site for a baseball facility; it is unknown whether soils were sampled for contamination prior to those activities. No active remediation has commenced and the site remains awaiting cleanup under Washington's Standard Cleanup program. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 shot deposition and PAH-laden clay pigeon debris began accumulating at this property in the 1930s and continued for more than five decades — a span that encompasses the entire era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were written without effective pollution exclusions. The contamination here is the direct product of long-term, continuous discharge that was ongoing throughout that pre-1986 policy window. With remediation design still ahead and cleanup costs not yet committed, historical CGL carriers whose policies were in force during the shotgun range's decades of pre-1986 operation may be obligated to fund the investigation and cleanup work that lies ahead.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
