This property has a documented history as an industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1946. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could help fund the multi-phase investigation and remediation work ahead under Wisconsin DNR oversight.

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 Wisconsin — and those policies may provide coverage that remains enforceable today. 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 coal and lumber handling, sheet metalworking, and metals recycling — commenced as early as the late 1930s and continued for decades before 1986, introducing PAHs, PCBs, and heavy metals into soil and groundwater throughout that pre-1986 period. The cleanup work still ahead under Wisconsin DNR oversight — completing site investigation across multiple media, remediating contaminated soil and groundwater where benzene, vinyl chloride, and PFAS exceed applicable standards, maintaining a multi-well monitoring network, and preventing off-site migration toward nearby wetlands and Lake Wingra — represents substantial future costs that the historical carriers insuring these pre-1986 operations may be obligated to fund.

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.