This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank 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 Paramount Theatre's heating oil tanks were operational before 1986 — the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims — and the contamination documented at the site traces directly to those pre-1986 leaks. No full remediation has yet begun; the property owner now faces soil cleanup, groundwater investigation and treatment, and long-term monitoring costs tied to releases that originated decades ago. Those upcoming cleanup expenditures are precisely what historical CGL carriers whose policies were in effect during the tanks' operational years may be obligated to fund.

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.