This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1933. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this property originated from fueling operations that began more than five decades before 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims in Washington. The release has been characterized as historic, consistent with decades of UST operations at a retail gasoline station. Documented remediation expenditures — soil excavation, groundwater recovery, and years of ongoing monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the station's operating years 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.