This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership predating 1986. 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.

The gasoline release at this site originated from a UST system whose decommissioning in 1992 — and whose lead-bearing groundwater contamination detected in 1994–1995 samples — points to fueling operations that predate 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies were the industry standard. Because the contamination here involves both petroleum hydrocarbons in excavated soil and dissolved lead in groundwater consistent with leaded gasoline, the release profile ties directly to the era those policies covered. The site's ongoing remediation costs — tank removal, soil excavation, groundwater treatment, vapor extraction testing, and a full RI/FS still in progress — represent expenditures that historical carriers who insured the auto auction's fueling operations may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund going forward.

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.