This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1950. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
Zandt Brass Foundry began operating as a non-ferrous foundry for sand casting aluminum, brass, and other non-ferrous metals at this Seattle property in 1950. A 1989 Consent Decree initiated a multi-year remedial investigation program; cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program was completed in 1999 through excavation and removal of all metals-contaminated soil on the site. Washington State Ecology issued a No Further Action determination in 2000. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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.
Foundry operations depositing copper, lead, zinc, and cyanide into the soil at this property ran for nearly four decades before 1986, when effective pollution exclusions became standard in Commercial General Liability policies. Contamination from those pre-1986 operations was formally identified in 1987 and drove more than a decade of regulatory obligation — a Consent Decree, multi-year remedial investigation, and full soil excavation — before the site reached closure. Historical CGL carriers whose policies covered the foundry during its pre-1986 operational years may bear liability for those documented remediation costs.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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 & Forensic Accounting
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.
