This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1932. 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 directly to gas station operations that began in 1932 — more than five decades before the 1986 cutoff after which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures — UST removals, soil excavation, waste disposal, and site restoration — were incurred to address releases from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the operators during the 1932–1973 service-station era may be obligated both to recover costs already spent and to fund the cleanup 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.