This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1970. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as a gasoline service station from at least the early 1970s, with three underground storage tanks — installed in the late 1960s to early 1970s — dispensing regular leaded, unleaded, and super unleaded gasoline through suction pumps at two fuel islands. In 1993, all three USTs totaling 2,350 gallons of capacity were excavated and removed along with approximately 300 cubic yards of contaminated soil, and 55,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater were retained during excavation. In 1994, the stockpiled soil underwent bioremediation using oxygen-releasing compounds, with project management transferred as part of a multi-year remediation effort; cleanup remains 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.
The sale of leaded gasoline from this site's underground storage tanks places the contamination's origin firmly in the pre-1986 era, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. Tanks installed in the late 1960s and operated for over two decades before their 1993 removal were the direct source of the petroleum contamination documented in soil and groundwater at this property. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the station's operators during that operational window may be obligated both to recover the documented remediation costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup work that continues today.
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.
