This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1940. 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 to fueling and vehicle-service operations that began around 1940 — more than four decades before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with pollution exclusions. The documented remediation costs spanning 1990 through 1994 and beyond — tank removals, soil excavation, biological treatment of soil and groundwater — were incurred to address releases from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the station's decades of operation may be obligated both to recover past cleanup expenditures and to fund the remediation still under way.

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.