This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1945. 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 contamination at this site — petroleum hydrocarbons from decades of fueling operations and PCE from metal-degreasing work — originated from activities underway beginning in 1945, more than four decades before the 1986 watershed that ended occurrence-based CGL coverage of pollution claims. Underground storage tanks installed in the 1940s and 1950s and machine shop degreasing operations that predated modern pollution exclusions tie the site's liability directly to that pre-1986 policy era. Historical carriers whose policies covered the Massoth operations during that window may be obligated both to recover the documented remediation costs and to fund the remedial work that remains outstanding.

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.