This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1927. 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.

Contamination at this site — petroleum hydrocarbons from storage tanks installed and operated across multiple decades before 1986, and PCBs from industrial equipment with roots in the same era — originates from operations that predate the 1986 occurrence-based CGL policy shift by more than fifty years. The remediation record here is extensive: tank removals, soil excavation, 23,000 gallons of hydrocarbon recovery, PCB equipment removal, long-term groundwater monitoring, and US Navy site work — all traceable to pre-1986 industrial releases. Historical carriers who issued CGL coverage to the Everett Mill's operators during those decades may be obligated to fund ongoing cleanup costs and to recover expenditures already incurred.

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.