This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop predating 1986. 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 1992 complaint about longstanding waste oil dumping — combined with the descriptor 'old oil tank' applied to the aboveground tank removed in 1995 — points to releases that began during the concrete business era or the earliest years of auto repair operations, both well before 1986. Whoever operated this parcel in that pre-1986 window was covered by occurrence-based CGL policies tied to that specific tank and that specific dumping history — policies without the pollution exclusions that became standard after 1986. Those historical carriers, whose policies attached to the very operations that created the contamination now awaiting cleanup, may be obligated to fund the remediation costs this property still faces.

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.