This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop 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 contamination at the Jackson Property — petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH-D/O), metals, and PAHs — originated from decades of wrecking yard and auto repair operations that were active well before 1986: leaking vehicles, pooled oil, and an unpaved yard stacked with vehicle parts are the documented contamination mechanism. This is the kind of multi-year, slow-release industrial use that insurers accepted risk on under occurrence-based CGL policies in the decades following the 1950 construction of the site's service structures. The remediation expenditures documented here — soil excavation, well installation, and years of VCP monitoring — are tied directly to that pre-1986 operational footprint, and historical carriers whose policies covered the Jackson Property during that period may remain obligated to fund them.

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.