This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1940. 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.

Auto repair and service operations at this property were underway no later than 1940 and continued through successive facility expansions in 1945 and 1950 — placing the contamination origin well over four decades before the 1986 threshold at which occurrence-based CGL policies ceased to provide reliable pollution coverage. The contaminant mix here — petroleum hydrocarbons from USTs and hydraulic equipment alongside cVOCs from solvents and paint-booth operations — is exactly the category of slow, ongoing industrial release those pre-1986 policies were written to address. Documented remediation costs encompassing dual UST removals, excavation of nearly 2,500 tons of impacted soil, thermal treatment, and groundwater monitoring now spanning the better part of two decades represent expenditures that historical carriers whose policies were in force during those pre-1986 operations may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.