This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1967. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
Murray Pacific Corporation operated this Tacoma property as a log sorting facility from 1967 to 1985, during which Asarco copper smelting slag was used as ballast to support heavy log-sorting machinery from 1975 through 1981. A bark sorting and processing operation occupied the site from 1985 to 1988. Remediation included excavation of contaminated pond sediments and pumping of contaminated pond water for off-site disposal, carried out following a multi-year remedial investigation and feasibility study; the site has since received a No Further Action determination. 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 contamination here is directly tied to smelting slag placed on the property from 1975 through 1981 — a period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation trail — a full remedial investigation, feasibility study, remedial action, and provisions for a five-year review and cost recovery — represents expenditures incurred to address heavy-metal contamination that originated from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Murray Pacific during the 1975–1981 slag-use window may still bear obligations for those cleanup costs.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
