This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership going back to 1971. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

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.

The petroleum contamination at this site — originating from underground storage tanks, a waste oil UST, and service-bay operations — traces directly to dealership activities that began in 1971, more than a decade before occurrence-based CGL policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims. Carriers who issued policies during that pre-1986 operational window had no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and may remain obligated today. The documented remediation expenditures here — soil excavation, OWS removal, groundwater extraction, and multi-year quarterly monitoring with extraction still ongoing — are costs those historical carriers may be required both to recover 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.