This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1982. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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.

Metal salvage and dismantling operations at this property began in 1982, predating the 1986 threshold at which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies in Washington ceased to provide meaningful pollution coverage. The contamination profile here — TPH, metals, and cPAHs — is directly attributable to decades of industrial activity involving petroleum-bearing vehicles, maritime equipment, and storage tanks, all handled on-site before that cutoff. Documented remediation expenditures — soil excavation, impermeable containment installation, and vapor extraction — represent costs that historical CGL carriers whose policies were in force during those pre-1986 operations may be obligated to recover and fund going forward.

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.