This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1954. 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.

Contamination at this site — leaded gasoline and diesel plumes originating from underground storage tanks installed and operated from 1954 through 1981 — predates the 1986 shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies by decades. The operators who ran fuel dispensing infrastructure here during that window were insured under CGL policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Documented remediation expenditures spanning soil excavation, LNAPL recovery, and more than two decades of monitoring represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to continue funding as cleanup progresses.

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.