This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1970. 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.

Manufacturing operations at this facility began in 1970 — more than fifteen years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies with broad pollution coverage were still the industry standard. The volatile organic compounds and petroleum hydrocarbons identified here are consistent with the solvent and fuel use typical of pre-1986 industrial operations and precisely the class of release those policies were written to cover. Documented remediation expenditures — UST removal, ballast excavation, and years of investigation and groundwater monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the facility's pre-1986 operational 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.