This property has a documented history as an industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1940. 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 the 1940s, when a wire factory was constructed on site — a use confirmed by 1950 Sanborn fire insurance maps. Sheet metal fabrication operations followed from approximately the 1960s through 1995, employing chlorinated solvents including trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) for metal parts degreasing. Groundwater investigations have documented chlorinated and petroleum volatile organic compound contamination, with impacts identified off-site to the west and north, and Wisconsin DNR denied site closure in 2009 because natural attenuation of groundwater contamination had not been demonstrated. Off-site vapor intrusion sampling was requested in 2021 as part of the ongoing Environmental Remediation Program investigation. 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 — wire manufacturing and sheet metal fabrication using chlorinated solvents — began in the 1940s and continued through the mid-1990s, placing decades of contaminating activity squarely in the pre-1986 window. The unresolved groundwater remediation, off-site contamination investigation, and vapor intrusion assessment ahead represent 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.