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.
This property has been in industrial use since at least 1946, with faucet manufacturing and metal finishing operations — including solvent degreasing and electroplating — documented from 1959 through the mid-1980s. A 1995 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment and a 2025 Limited Subsurface Investigation confirmed trichloroethylene (TCE) and its degradation products (cis-1,2-DCE and vinyl chloride) in groundwater at concentrations exceeding Wisconsin DNR Enforcement Standards, along with additional chlorinated compounds including trans-1,2-DCE and 1,1,1-trichloroethane. The contamination has been attributed to historical degreasing operations at the facility, and a groundwater plume extends toward the Menomonee River approximately 2,300 feet to the east. 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.
Solvent degreasing and metal finishing operations at this property were conducted from 1959 through the mid-1980s, spanning more than two decades of chlorinated solvent use before 1986. The groundwater investigation, vapor intrusion assessment, plume delineation toward the Menomonee River, and remediation work required under Wisconsin DNR Enforcement Standards to address TCE, vinyl chloride, and related chlorinated compounds represent substantial future costs that historical pre-1986 carriers for the businesses that operated here 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.