This property has a documented history as a farm and agricultural operation going back to 1961. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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.

Pesticide and herbicide contamination at this property traces directly to more than four decades of aerial application operations that began in 1961 — a quarter century before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The scale of documented remediation here — over 15,000 tons of excavated soil, more than 100,000 pounds of chemical oxidant injected into the groundwater, and 13 years of active cleanup — reflects expenditures tied entirely to pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Aircraft Applicator, Inc. during that operational window may still be obligated to recover those costs.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.