This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1965. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this industrial property originated from fuel storage and equipment operations that were underway by at least 1965 — more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. USTs placed in service in the 1960s represent precisely the kind of pre-1986 exposure that historical carriers remain obligated to address. The remediation trail here — multiple tank removals, soil excavation, wastewater treatment, and long-term groundwater monitoring — documents expenditures tied directly to those decades-old operations, and future cleanup costs may likewise be recoverable from historical policies issued during the plant's active years.

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.