This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1940. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site — gasoline, diesel, and lead from the era of leaded fuel — originated from underground storage tanks and fuel-dispensing infrastructure installed and operated over more than four decades before 1986. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the station's operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. Over three decades of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, free-product recovery, chemical oxidation, and ongoing monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to continue funding as cleanup work proceeds.

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.