This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1950. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property was occupied by Lee and Eastes Inc., a trucking company, from 1950 to 1982, with operations centered on truck washing, repairs, and vehicle maintenance alongside a fuel island. Improper containment and handling of industrial fluids throughout that period resulted in antifreeze, used oil, heavy metals, and greases being discharged directly onto the ground. A corrective action was taken in May 1990 to address a 200–300 gallon diesel spill, as documented by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, though Ecology has no documentation of any site cleanup or remediation on file. 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.
The contamination at this property originated from more than thirty years of trucking operations — truck washing, fuel dispensing, and vehicle maintenance — conducted entirely within the pre-1986 window when occurrence-based CGL policies were issued without effective pollution exclusions. The combination of used oil, heavy metals, antifreeze, and diesel associated with those operations is precisely the type of gradual, recurring industrial release those policies were written to address. With no Ecology-supervised remediation on record, the investigation and cleanup costs the current property owner now faces could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force during Lee and Eastes's operational years.
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.
