This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1938. 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 PCBs, heavy metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons documented at this property are the direct product of decades of industrial forging, heat treating, and machining operations that were underway more than four decades before 1986. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to the operators during that pre-1986 window contained no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable against the historical carriers. The site's documented remediation expenditures — soil excavation, tank removals, groundwater treatment, vapor extraction, containment systems, and ongoing closure work — represent costs those carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.