This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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 lead-contaminated soil documented at this site is a reliable marker of fuel dispensing operations predating 1986, when leaded gasoline remained in widespread retail use and occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Historical CGL carriers who issued policies during that pre-1986 operational window may bear obligation for remediation costs tied to those early operations. The documented expenditures here — UST removal, large-scale soil excavation, and more than three decades of groundwater monitoring — represent costs already incurred as well as ongoing natural attenuation work that historical carriers may be obligated 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.