This property has a documented history as a landfill going back to 1910. 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.

Operators accepting municipal solid waste at the Vockrodt Dump during its primary operating decades — roughly 1910 through 1945 — and those managing inert-waste disposal through the 1970s and early 1980s held CGL policies under which pollution exclusions were not yet standard in Washington. Because the landfill is itself both the source and the release, those pre-1986 operators and their carriers have a direct exposure line to the documented remediation costs: the 2007 soil excavations, the engineered cap, the gas mitigation system, and decades of post-closure monitoring now planned under the Voluntary 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.