This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1960. 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.

Auto dismantling and salvage operations at this property began more than two decades before 1986, the year occurrence-based CGL policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures to date — the 1998 UST removal and the 2020 soil excavation, catch basin removal, thermal treatment, and site restoration — represent costs attributable entirely to contamination that originated during that pre-1986 operational window. Because the site remains under active cleanup with review and further remediation continuing, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational period may be obligated both to recover those past costs and to fund the ongoing work still ahead.

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.