This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. 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.

K2's manufacturing operations at this site involved the historical use of TCE in equipment and degreasing processes, and the presence of a heating oil UST removed in 2008 implies the facility was active no later than the early 1980s — placing those operations squarely within the pre-1986 window when occurrence-based CGL policies were issued to industrial manufacturers like K2. A $2.275 million multi-year remediation program — covering ISCO treatment, soil vapor extraction, and long-term groundwater management — represents the scale of cost exposure those historical carriers may be obligated to fund. If pre-1986 policies were issued to K2 or its predecessors during the years TCE was in active use here, those instruments remain a plausible source of recovery.

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.