This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1976. 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 diesel fuel contamination at this site originated from an underground storage tank installed at least a decade before 1986, during the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, soil excavation and incineration, groundwater recovery infrastructure, and planned additional soil treatment — represent costs tied directly to a slow release from that pre-1986 installation. Because cleanup is ongoing, historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during the tank's operational years may be obligated both to reimburse costs already incurred and to fund the remediation work still ahead.

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.