This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership going back to 1973. 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 installed in approximately 1973 to support an automotive sales operation — more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, excavation of 500 cubic yards of contaminated soil, off-site disposal, and abandonment-in-place work on remaining tanks — represent cleanup costs tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the years these tanks were in active use may be obligated both to recover past remediation costs and to fund the ongoing cleanup.

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.