This property has a documented history as a landfill going back to 1970. 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.

All contamination at this site is attributed to disposal and storage operations carried out in the early 1970s — more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began routinely excluding pollution claims. Lime sludge, shredder residue, and mixed industrial fill placed during that window represent exactly the kind of gradual, decades-long release that pre-1986 CGL policies were written to address. The documented and projected remediation costs — investigation, feasibility work, capping, soil consolidation, and long-term institutional controls — represent expenditures that historical carriers whose policies were in force during the 1970–1973 operational period may be obligated 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.