This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1976. 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.

The petroleum release here traces directly to a government fleet-fueling UST installed in 1976 and operated for more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation record — UST removal, excavation of 1,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil, and extraction and treatment of 30,000 gallons of affected groundwater — establishes a concrete expenditure trail tied to that pre-1986 release. Historical carriers that issued CGL policies to King County during the UST's operational window may be obligated both to recover those documented costs and to fund the site's remaining cleanup obligations.

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.