This property has a documented history as a farm and agricultural operation going back to 1949. 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.

Agricultural research operations and petroleum storage at this site date to 1949 — more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The contamination requiring cleanup — petroleum releases from underground storage tanks and pesticide and herbicide residues from decades of field applications — originated squarely within that pre-1986 policy window. Documented remediation expenditures including tank removals, soil excavation, and nearly a decade of groundwater monitoring represent costs that historical carriers who covered WSU's operations during that period 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.