This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1941. 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.

Shipyard operations at this property began in 1941 — forty-five years before the threshold after which occurrence-based CGL policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims. The contamination found in groundwater and sediment — metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, PCBs, PAHs, and solvents — is consistent with decades of vessel repair, fueling, and industrial maintenance predating the pollution-exclusion era. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the shipyard's pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to fund both the recovery of remediation costs already incurred and the cleanup work still 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.