This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1961. 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 hydrocarbons and lead documented in soil and groundwater here trace to a gasoline station that operated entirely within the pre-1986 window — when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The extremely weathered character of the contamination anchors the release to those historical operations, not any recent event. UST removal, soil excavation, and the groundwater and vapor treatment options now under active consideration represent remediation expenditures that historical carriers whose policies were in force during the 1961–1982 operational period 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.