This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1935. 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 gasoline USTs at this property were installed and operated decades before 1986, during the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The petroleum release that triggered more than a decade of active remediation — soil removal, pump-and-treat operations, chemical oxidation, bioremediation — traces directly to those pre-1986 storage tank operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies covering the Butler Garage during that window may be obligated both to reimburse the cleanup costs already incurred and to fund the remediation work that remains.

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.