This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1890. 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.

Contamination at this property is tied directly to industrial operations — olivine processing, foundry-sand production, and incinerator use — that spanned decades before 1986, the year occurrence-based CGL policies stopped reliably covering pollution liability in Washington. Carriers who issued policies to Olivine Corporation and its predecessors during that pre-1986 window had no effective pollution exclusion, and those policies remain enforceable today. With soil, sediment, and groundwater contamination confirmed and formal cleanup now underway, both recovery of past investigation expenditures and funding of ongoing remediation costs may be available through those historical insurers.

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.