This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1960. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated continuously from around 1960 — more than two decades before occurrence-based CGL policies began adding effective pollution exclusions in 1986. The presence of lead in the gasoline tank basin contamination is itself a marker of pre-1986 fuel operations. Documented remediation expenditures spanning tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, and groundwater treatment represent costs that historical carriers who wrote CGL policies during that 1960–1986 window may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund through any remaining cleanup work.

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.