This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1955. 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.

The petroleum contamination at this property traces directly to equipment-washing and waste-fluid handling practices that were underway from at least the mid-1950s — more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. An underground storage tank estimated to have been installed by 1967 or earlier further confirms that the contamination sources predate the modern pollution-exclusion era. Documented remediation costs — UST removal, soil excavation, monitoring well installation, and required long-term groundwater monitoring — represent expenditures tied to those pre-1986 operations that historical CGL carriers 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.