This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1937. 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.

Fuel storage and distribution operations at this address ran continuously for thirty years — 1937 through 1967 — placing the contamination window entirely within the era of broad CGL coverage. The 2015–2016 multi-phase investigation has produced the documentation needed to support a coverage claim, yet the remediation itself has not yet been designed or funded. The primary exposure here is forward-looking: historical carriers whose policies covered operations during the station's thirty-year run may be obligated to pay for a cleanup that is still to come.

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.