This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1965. 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 service station at this property began dispensing gasoline from underground storage tanks in the mid-1960s — more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Petroleum releases attributed to leaking pipes, overfills, and aging USTs accumulated over that entire pre-1986 operational window. The documented remediation costs — six UST removals, excavation of hundreds of tons of contaminated soil, removal of tens of thousands of gallons of contaminated seepage, and continuing groundwater work — represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the station operators may still 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.