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 fund a cleanup.
This property operated as the Larry Montgomery Auto Recycling and Crushing business, an industrial facility that crushed and dismantled vehicles and handled vehicle fluids and hazardous wastes. Cleanup activities under an administrative order have included removal of 66.7 tons of contaminated soil, clearing of stored cars and metal scrap, regrading with clean material, and construction of a surface water retention pond. Lead has been detected in surface water at the car storage area at concentrations well above background levels, and additional cleanup efforts are planned. 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.
Contamination at this site arose from the routine operations of a vehicle crushing and recycling business that processed cars manufactured and fueled during the era of leaded gasoline — a waste stream with direct ties to the pre-1986 period when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The remediation costs already incurred — soil removal, site clearing, regrading, and stormwater controls — along with the further cleanup the site still requires, represent the type of long-tail environmental liability that historical carriers may be obligated to fund under policies issued during the facility's operational window.
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.
