This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1967. 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 property traces to underground storage tanks that were operational decades before 1986, during the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The presence of lead in soil from gasoline releases independently confirms a pre-1986 contamination origin, since leaded gasoline was phased out by the mid-1980s. With cleanup work still ongoing — further soil investigation, potential groundwater remediation — the historical carriers who insured these operations may be obligated both to reimburse past remediation costs and to fund the 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.