This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1883. 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 site — petroleum hydrocarbons, PCBs, and lead — originated from brewery and industrial operations that began more than a century before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures — soil excavation, free product recovery, in-situ treatment, groundwater monitoring, PCB abatement, and lead paint removal — represent costs tied directly to those decades of pre-1986 operations. With cleanup still underway, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window may be obligated both to recover past remediation costs and to fund the work that remains.

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.