This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1920. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has served as a warehouse and agricultural-industry facility since the 1920s, most recently operating as the Schenk Packing Company wholesale meat plant. A 1,000-gallon gasoline underground storage tank and a 500-gallon fuel oil UST — both supporting on-site company vehicles and building heat — contaminated soil and groundwater with petroleum hydrocarbons. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included UST removals, soil excavation, three phases of Oxygen Release Compound injections totaling 12,675 pounds between 1999 and 2002, air sparging, pump-and-treat with activated charcoal, vapor extraction, and ongoing natural attenuation. Remediation work is continuing. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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.
Petroleum contamination at this site traces to underground storage tanks installed in 1982 to support industrial operations that date to the 1920s — squarely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures — UST removals, soil excavation, years of ORC injections, vapor extraction, and pump-and-treat operations — represent costs that historical CGL carriers who covered the facility during those pre-1986 operations may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
