This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1925. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks and associated piping that were in service for decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The remediation cost trail here is substantial — large-scale soil excavation, tank removals, vapor extraction, groundwater treatment, and more than three decades of ongoing monitoring — all tied to releases from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window may be obligated both to reimburse remediation costs already incurred and to fund the monitoring program still ahead.

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.