This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1965. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as an aerospace parts manufacturing facility from 1965 until 2009, producing machined and formed aluminum and stainless steel structural components through processes that included milling, metal forming, machining, degreasing, and aluminum heat treating. Investigation and monitoring under the Voluntary Cleanup Program have been underway since 2009, encompassing soil borings, installation of temporary and permanent groundwater monitoring wells through 2012, and comprehensive soil, groundwater, and air sampling. Monitored Natural Attenuation is the identified groundwater treatment approach, with quarterly monitoring required on a sustained, ongoing basis. 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 — petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents including TCE — originated from machining and degreasing operations conducted continuously from 1965 through the pre-1986 era, when occurrence-based CGL policies were the industry standard and lacked effective pollution exclusions. Facility floor drains are documented to have discharged to the stormwater system prior to 1987, establishing the contamination's pre-1986 pathways in the record. The investigation infrastructure, long-term monitoring program, and ongoing natural attenuation process represent remediation costs that historical carriers who issued policies during that operational window 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.
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.
