This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1950. 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 contamination at this property traces directly to gasoline storage and dispensing operations that ran for more than two decades entirely before 1986 — the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The presence of lead in soil and groundwater independently confirms pre-1986 origins, as leaded gasoline was phased out during that same era. Documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, well installation, pump-and-treat operations, and decades of monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who insured these operations may be obligated both to reimburse and to continue funding.

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.