This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1949. 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.

Industrial plating and solvent-degreasing operations at this property began more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The contamination profile — trichloroethylene, other halogenated and non-halogenated solvents, metals, and benzene across groundwater, surface water, and air — traces directly to those decades of pre-1986 plating operations. Remediation costs already incurred and still accumulating under the Voluntary Cleanup Program represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the 1949–1986 operational 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.