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 — 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 diesel fuel contamination at this facility traces directly to an underground storage tank installed and operated well before 1986 — when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Historical carriers whose policies covered this facility during that pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to fund recovery of past documented remediation costs — UST removal, soil excavation, and years of groundwater monitoring and product retrieval — and to fund the continuing cleanup obligations that remain unresolved under the Standard Cleanup program.

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.