This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1968. 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 petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks whose age — consistent with installation prior to 1968 — and the investigation of leaded gasoline as a contaminant both place the release squarely in the era of occurrence-based CGL policies with no effective pollution exclusion. Three decades of documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, soil excavation, vapor extraction, and long-term groundwater monitoring — were incurred to address releases tied to those pre-1986 operations. With cleanup started but not yet concluded, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the station's operating years may be obligated both to reimburse past costs and to fund remaining remediation.

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.