This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1955. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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.

Vehicle fleet servicing operations at this facility began more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum and PAH contamination discovered in groundwater originated from those decades of pre-1986 fleet maintenance — hydraulic equipment use, fuel handling, and related shop activities conducted under policies that remain enforceable today. Historical carriers who underwrote CGL coverage during the 1955-to-1986 operational window may still be obligated to recover the remediation costs incurred to bring the site to its No Further Action status.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.