This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1929. 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 cPAH contamination here traces to foundry operations that began in 1929 — more than five decades before the 1986 threshold after which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased to reliably cover pollution claims. Pre-1986 CGL carriers who insured the foundry or subsequent industrial operators during that window issued policies with no effective pollution exclusion in Washington and remain potentially liable today. The documented remediation expenditures at this property — excavation, building demolition, containment capping, and years of groundwater monitoring — are costs those historical policies 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.