This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1917. 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.

Industrial and commercial operations at this property began more than six decades before 1986, the year occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The groundwater contamination now requiring further remediation — PCE and vinyl chloride, both hallmarks of industrial solvent use — traces to operations conducted under policies that had no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Documented remediation expenditures to date and the cleanup costs still ahead represent obligations that historical carriers who insured these pre-1986 operations may be required to fund.

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.