This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1964. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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.

The underground storage tanks installed at this facility around 1964 and the body shop waste disposal practices documented as ongoing into at least 1994 both predate 1986 — the threshold year after which pollution exclusions became standard in commercial liability policies. The scale of contamination here, severe enough to require city water connections for neighboring residents, is precisely the class of harm those pre-1986 occurrence-based CGL policies were written to address. With remediation costs accumulated over three decades and active cleanup still continuing under the Voluntary Cleanup Program, historical carriers from the pre-1986 operational window face potential obligations both to recover costs already incurred and to fund the remediation work that remains.

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.