This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1947. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property operated as the Perfection Smokery, a salmon cannery and canning facility in Seattle's King County, with operations dating back to at least 1947. Two 1,500-gallon leaded gasoline underground storage tanks were installed in 1964 to support facility operations and remained in use until 1982. After the USTs were removed in 1990, cleanup under the Standard Cleanup program included multiple phases of soil overexcavation from 1990 to 1993 — totaling at least 310 cubic yards of contaminated soil disposed offsite — vapor extraction system operation, groundwater dewatering of 2,500 gallons, and monitoring well installation. Contamination remains at the site, and further cleanup has not yet commenced. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 petroleum contamination still present at this property traces directly to leaded gasoline USTs installed in 1964 and operated through 1982 — squarely within the era when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The cleanup work that lies ahead for this site could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force during those two decades of tank operation. Past remediation expenditures already incurred — soil excavation, vapor extraction, groundwater removal, monitoring — may likewise be recoverable under those same pre-1986 policies.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
