This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1976. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated beginning in 1976, a full decade before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased covering pollution claims. The documented releases of gasoline into both soil and groundwater trace directly to that pre-1986 operational window. Remediation costs already incurred — site assessment, tank closure, and years of groundwater monitoring — along with the monitoring still required to achieve regulatory closure, represent expenditures that historical carriers who insured the facility during the 1976–1986 period 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.