This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1931. 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.

Manufactured gas production at this property began in 1931 and ran for nearly three decades before 1986, releasing coal tar and MGP process byproducts that are now the subject of a federal Superfund cleanup. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the operators during that long pre-1986 production window contained no effective pollution exclusion and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation costs here — emergency removal actions, cap installation, a multi-year remedial investigation, and extensive groundwater monitoring — represent expenditures directly traceable to those pre-1986 operations, and historical carriers may be obligated both to recover costs already incurred and to fund the investigation and remediation that remain ongoing.

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.