This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1914. 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 site traces directly to gasoline station operations that began in 1928 and ran for thirty-five years — ending more than two decades before the 1986 threshold after which CGL policies effectively excluded pollution claims. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to the operators during that mid-century window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation expenditures — large-scale soil excavation, groundwater recovery infrastructure, and years of monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to continue funding as cleanup proceeds.

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.