This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1955. 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 underground storage tanks installed around 1955 and operated for nearly four decades — the entire span of the occurrence-based CGL era and well beyond. Carriers who wrote Commercial General Liability policies for the service station during the pre-1986 window issued coverage with no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law, and the documented releases from those tanks fall squarely within those policy terms. With cleanup started but not yet complete, both the remediation costs already incurred and those still ahead may be recoverable from historical insurers whose policies were in force when the contamination first occurred.

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.