This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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 here originated from underground storage tanks holding industrial fuels and solvents that were in service well before 1986 — the presence of lead in the tank contents confirms the tanks date to the leaded-fuel era. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued during that pre-1986 operational window carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, and over two decades of monitoring through final closure — represent cleanup costs that the historical carriers who insured those operations may still be obligated to cover.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.