This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station 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.

Gasoline dispensing operations at this site began at least fifteen years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The contamination discovered here — petroleum hydrocarbons released from product lines and dispenser islands, with leaded-gasoline indicators confirming the pre-1986 origin — is precisely the kind of long-duration release those policies were written to cover. Documented remediation expenditures spanning excavation, groundwater treatment, and over a decade of monitoring represent costs that historical carriers who insured the station during its early operating years may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund on a going-forward basis.

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.