This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership going back to 1965. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has been used for truck maintenance since at least 1965, first by Mack Trucking and then by Kenworth Northwest beginning around 1967, with a 500-gallon underground waste oil storage tank serving the maintenance operation throughout. Cleanup activities between 1990 and 1991 included removal of the waste oil UST, identification of a broken drain pipe as a contamination pathway, and excavation and off-site disposal of approximately 85.76 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil. Groundwater monitoring and site assessment have continued through 2020, and the facility remains in active use for truck maintenance. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this site originated from waste oil handling and storage tied to truck maintenance operations that began more than two decades before 1986. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to the operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, soil excavation, decades of groundwater monitoring — along with any further cleanup costs still ahead represent obligations the historical carriers may be required both to reimburse 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.
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.
