This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank going back to 1940. 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 petroleum contamination at this property traces to a heating oil UST and associated operations that were in place decades before 1986 — the property's commercial use began in the 1940s and the tank was taken out of service circa 1963. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued during that long operational window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. Documented remediation costs already include tank removal, soil excavation, and thermal treatment, with ongoing groundwater monitoring and potential future cleanup still to be funded — expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to cover 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.