This property has a documented history as a landfill going back to 1968. 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.

The Manson Landfill began accepting waste in 1968 — eighteen years before occurrence-based CGL policies acquired effective pollution exclusions — and the contamination at issue traces directly to that pre-1986 disposal period. The 30-year post-closure monitoring obligation, combined with the engineered cap and gas and leachate control systems already in place, represents a remediation cost trail anchored to releases from those early operational years. Historical carriers whose policies covered the landfill's active dumping and filling operations before 1986 may remain obligated for the ongoing costs that liability produced.

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.