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 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.

Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Washington has operated in the region since its incorporation in the 1940s, making it highly plausible that this Bellevue facility was active well before 1986 — the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased to be the industry standard. The petroleum contamination documented in soil and groundwater here represents the type of operations-related release that pre-1986 CGL policies were written to cover. Historical carriers who provided coverage during those decades of bottling and distribution operations may still bear obligations toward the remediation costs incurred at this site.

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.