This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1965. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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.

Mercury was in active use at Silicon Metaltech's quality control laboratory from the mid-1960s through the late 1960s — more than fifteen years before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies were still the industry standard and lacked effective pollution exclusions. Carriers who issued policies to Silicon Metaltech during those mercury-use years may be obligated to fund both the 1988–1989 excavation costs and the unresolved remediation that remains. For an active industrial operation carrying an open cleanup obligation tied to decades-old laboratory operations, identifying those historical policy assets is a material financial consideration.

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.