This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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 lead contamination detected at this site ties the petroleum release to operations conducted during the era of leaded gasoline, well before 1986 — when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Years of documented remediation expenditures, including multiple SVE campaigns and a full-time extraction system that has recovered thousands of pounds of hydrocarbons, represent costs that historical carriers who covered the station during its leaded-gasoline operations may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues.

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.