This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as the Circle L gas station in Sunnyside, with three underground storage tanks — two gasoline and one diesel, totaling 18,000 gallons of capacity — removed in July 1992 after contamination was discovered. Cleanup activities included excavation and land farming of impacted soil, though financial difficulties led to discontinuation of the soil removal effort. Assessment work has continued, with investigation-derived waste collected and disposed of as recently as June 2024, making this a multi-decade remediation project that remains ongoing. 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.
The petroleum contamination at this property originated from leaking underground storage tanks that served a gas station operating well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. More than thirty years of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, land farming, and continuing site assessment — were incurred to address releases tied directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the station's operational window may be obligated both to recover costs already spent and to fund the cleanup work that remains.
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.
