This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1978. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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.

TCE vapor degreasing operations at this property began in 1978, eight years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still issued without effective pollution exclusions. The chlorinated solvent contamination documented in groundwater here is the product of continuous industrial degreasing conducted throughout that pre-1986 window, precisely the type of ongoing release those policies were written to cover. With a second remediation injection campaign still forthcoming and long-term monitoring underway, the remediation expenditures are both documented and unresolved — making the historical carrier window a plausible avenue for cost recovery.

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.