This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1908. 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.

Paint manufacturing and chemical storage at this site began nearly 80 years before 1986, spanning the full era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The confirmed groundwater contamination — chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, and heavy metals including arsenic and lead — reflects decades of industrial operations conducted under those historical policies. Remediation costs already incurred and those still ahead as cleanup continues represent expenditures that historical carriers who insured the site's operators during that pre-1986 window may be obligated both 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.