This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
Capital Plumbing and Heating Co. operated a commercial plumbing and heating business at 424 Jefferson Street SE in Olympia, storing gasoline on-site in a 1,000-gallon underground storage tank to fuel its vehicle fleet. A leaking pump and/or product line at the tank resulted in petroleum contamination of surrounding soils. In 1995, cleanup activities included excavation and removal of the UST — with the tank purged using dry ice prior to removal — and the off-site thermal desorption of 35.96 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil. Cleanup at the site remains ongoing under the Standard Cleanup program. 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.
The petroleum contamination at this property originated from a fleet fuel storage tank that was in operational use prior to 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation — UST excavation, dry-ice purging, and thermal desorption treatment of nearly 36 tons of impacted soil — represents cleanup costs tied directly to releases from that pre-1986 storage system. Historical CGL carriers whose policies were in force during those operating years may remain obligated both to recover past remediation expenditures and to fund the site's continuing cleanup.
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.
