This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1982. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 industrial discharges that contaminated this property occurred between 1982 and 1984 — squarely within the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington State. Arsenic and the industrial chemical suite handled at the facility represent exactly the type of slow, diffuse release those pre-1986 policies were written to address. As the property moves toward formal remediation beyond the interim containment paving already in place, historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Janco United during that operational window may be obligated to fund the cleanup costs 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.