This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership going back to 1968. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has been occupied by auto dealerships — including service shops and a body shop — since 1968, with associated infrastructure that included seven underground storage tanks, aboveground storage tanks, 18 sub-floor hydraulic hoists, oil/water separators, alignment pits, and paint spray booths. Cleanup activities under the Standard Cleanup program have included removal of all seven USTs in 1989, excavation of the 18 sub-floor hydraulic lifts and their associated impacted soils in 1996–1997, and ongoing investigation work with groundwater monitoring recommended. Cleanup is ongoing. 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.
Contamination at this property stems from auto-dealership operations — fuel storage, hydraulic equipment, and service-shop discharges — that began nearly two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures to date — UST removals, hydraulic-lift excavation, soil disposal, and investigation costs — along with the groundwater monitoring program still ahead, represent cleanup obligations the historical carriers who insured this dealership during its pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund going forward.
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 & 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.
