This property has a documented history as a landfill predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 at this site originates from dumping and burning operations that ran for more than two decades before the landfill closed in 1974 — more than a decade before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began incorporating effective pollution exclusions. Documented costs — refuse removal, capping, fill placement, a residential water hookup, and over a decade of surface and well water monitoring — are all tied to those pre-1986 operations. Cleanup at Panorama Dump remains unresolved, and historical carriers who issued CGL policies to operators during the years the dump was active may still be obligated to fund the remediation work that lies 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.