This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1966. 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 release at this site originated from an underground storage tank that was in service for roughly twenty-five years before its removal in 1991 — placing the bulk of its operational life squarely within the pre-1986 window when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation costs — tank removal, soil excavation and disposal, water management, and the two-decade path to regulatory closure — are expenditures that historical carriers who covered this facility during its UST operations 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.