This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1925. 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.

Contamination at this property — petroleum hydrocarbons from decades of tank-fed truck repair, PCBs, and dioxins/furans from the mill's industrial equipment — originated with operations that began in 1925 and were well underway long before 1986. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the mill's operators and their successors during that pre-1986 period had no effective pollution exclusion in Washington and remain potentially enforceable today. The documented remediation record — UST removals, tens of thousands of gallons of contaminated water disposal, and a decade-long Remedial Investigation — represents expenditures that historical 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.