This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1978. 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.

Diesel fuel storage and dispensing at this site began with UST installations in 1978 and 1981 — years when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The contamination discovered beneath the fuel canopy is the kind of gradual release from aging underground infrastructure that those pre-1986 policies were designed to cover. Documented remediation costs — tank removal, large-scale soil excavation, waste disposal, and site restoration — represent expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues.

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.