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.
This 5.19-acre manufacturing facility has been operated by Magnum Venus Plastech as a production center for fiberglass equipment and molds, with on-site activities spanning metal fabrication, parts production, painting, assembly, engineering, testing, shipping, and parts inventory storage. Chlorinated solvents — including PCE and TCE — were historically utilized at the facility and released on-site, resulting in contamination now confirmed in soil and groundwater. Investigation-stage cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included containment of approximately 15 gallons of purged groundwater and other investigation-derived waste in drums; natural biodegradation in groundwater is being evaluated as an ongoing remediation process, additional monitoring events are planned, and future costs for off-site disposal of impacted soil and groundwater are anticipated. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 PCE and TCE contamination at this property is attributed to historical on-site solvent use in industrial manufacturing operations — not a recent or accidental release. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies written before 1986 covered exactly this category of contamination: slow, ongoing releases tied to production operations, issued at a time when pollution exclusions were not yet effective in Washington. To the extent the solvent operations that caused the contamination included any pre-1986 period, the historical carriers may bear obligations both to recover investigation costs already incurred and to fund the anticipated off-site disposal and long-term groundwater monitoring 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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
