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 recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property operated as a meat packing facility — the Superior Packing Company lamb packing plant — since the 1930s, with multiple underground and aboveground storage tanks holding diesel, Bunker C fuel oil, and gasoline to support boiler and plant vehicle operations. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included removal of those storage tanks, excavation of approximately 750 cubic yards of contaminated soil, groundwater pumping and monitoring from 2000 through 2003, and stockpiled-soil management. The site received a No Further Action determination in 2005. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this site originated from fuel storage tanks installed in the 1960s and 1970s to support an industrial operation that had been running since the 1930s — decades before the 1986 shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability coverage. The presence of weathered and aged gasoline in soil and groundwater confirms a long-duration release consistent with those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that window may still be obligated to recover the documented remediation costs — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, groundwater treatment, and years of monitoring.
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.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
