This property has a documented history as an industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1883. 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.
This property has been in industrial use since at least 1883, with aluminum cookware manufacturing and associated operations — including chrome plating, chemical polishing, anodizing, and aluminum etching — conducted on-site for nearly a century. Chlorinated solvents including trichloroethylene (TCE) and 1,1,1-trichloroethane were used in manufacturing, seven underground storage tanks containing mineral spirits, kerosene, and diesel were removed in 1988, and PCB-containing electrical transformers were present on the property. Groundwater contamination has been confirmed with TCE, cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis-1,2-DCE), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and off-site groundwater sampling has been conducted in multiple rounds through 2025, with vapor intrusion concerns identified for neighboring properties in 2026. The site remains an active Wisconsin DNR Environmental Remediation Program case with ongoing PCB remediation and groundwater monitoring. That history could support an insurance coverage claim against the carriers who issued policies more than 40 years ago — coverage that could help fund the cleanup ahead.
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 began more than a century before 1986, with aluminum manufacturing, solvent use, chrome plating, and underground storage tank operations all predating the 1986 cutoff by decades. The ongoing PCB remediation, groundwater monitoring, off-site vapor intrusion assessment, and continued investigation represent substantial future costs that those historical carriers 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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.