This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1930. 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 property traces to underground storage tanks installed as early as the 1930s — more than four decades before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began incorporating effective pollution exclusions. The scale of what remains — deep excavation to 50 feet below grade and groundwater remediation across a former industrial campus — means the remediation liability here is not historical but ongoing and substantial. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the Seattle Times during its pre-1986 printing and production operations may be obligated to fund both the costs already expended in the 1990–2012 LUST cleanup and those yet to come.

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.