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.

Contamination at this site — petroleum hydrocarbons and lead from leaded gasoline — points to releases that originated well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The presence of total lead in both soil and groundwater confirms fueling operations during the leaded-gasoline era, and the decommissioning of older USTs and hydraulic hoists in 1998 is consistent with infrastructure installed decades earlier. The documented remediation costs already incurred — soil removal, tank decommissioning, monitoring well installation, and years of quarterly groundwater sampling — along with ongoing cleanup obligations represent expenditures 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.