This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1951. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has operated as a retail gasoline station and convenience store since at least 1951, with underground storage tanks installed in 1978 to support fuel dispensing. In 1995, four USTs were removed along with 739.29 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil, and in 2015 an additional 800 gallons of wastewater and sludge were pumped from catchbasins and an oil/water separator. Three USTs remain operational at the site today — two gasoline tanks and one split diesel/gasoline tank — and multi-year compliance monitoring is planned as part of ongoing cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 site originated from fuel storage and dispensing operations that began more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation costs — tank removals, excavation of over 700 tons of contaminated soil, wastewater recovery, and the compliance monitoring still ahead — represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that pre-1986 operational window 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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.