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.

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 automotive wrecking and recycling operations at this property were established before 1986, during the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Decades of scrap yard activity and open burning deposited metals, organics, and petroleum products into the soil at levels exceeding state cleanup standards — contamination now requiring formal remediation. As investigation and cleanup costs accumulate at this site, historical CGL carriers who insured the facility during its pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to fund the remediation work ahead.

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.