This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1919. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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.

Marine industrial operations at this property began 67 years before 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims. The contamination in groundwater and sediment — arsenic, lead, metals, PAHs, and petroleum — traces to the vessel repair and maintenance activities that defined this facility throughout the mid-twentieth century. With cleanup costs still ahead, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the decades of pre-1986 operations at Fishermen's Terminal could plausibly be obligated to fund the remediation this site now requires.

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.