This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1957. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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.

Contamination at this property traces to underground storage tanks first installed in 1957 and operated by Puget Sound Power & Light Company for nearly three decades before 1986 — the year occurrence-based CGL policies ceased to provide reliable pollution coverage. The presence of leaded gasoline tanks and long-term used oil storage reflects the kind of slow, continuous release those pre-1986 policies were written to address. The documented remediation costs — UST removals, soil excavation, fuel house demolition, and ongoing groundwater monitoring — represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the operator during that pre-1986 window may be obligated both to recover and to 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.