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 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 operations at this property — including underground storage tanks likely installed before 1986 — place the site's operational history within the era when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Confirmed petroleum contamination in groundwater has triggered ongoing cleanup obligations, and the remediation expenditures being incurred may fall within the coverage scope of CGL policies issued to the property's operators during that pre-1986 period.

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.