This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1972. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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 an underground storage tank that was in the ground for approximately twenty-five years before its removal — placing its installation and the onset of releases squarely within the pre-1986 era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented cleanup expenditures — tank removal, soil excavation, sampling, and the regulatory process culminating in a No Further Action determination — represent costs that historical CGL carriers who covered the property during that operational window may still be obligated to reimburse.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.