This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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 this property is attributed to historical plant operations — not a recent incident — meaning the releases occurred across the same decades when occurrence-based CGL policies were the industry standard and lacked an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. With remediation options still under re-evaluation following a finding that excavation alone could not resolve all soil impacts, this site faces both unrecovered past cleanup expenditures and substantial future remediation costs. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the operators during the pre-1986 period may be obligated to fund both the work already completed and the remediation still 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.