This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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 release at this property traces to underground storage tank operations that were already inactive by approximately 1970 — at least sixteen years before the 1986 threshold after which occurrence-based CGL policies began including effective pollution exclusions. Carriers who issued commercial general liability coverage to this facility during the years when fuel was actively dispensed here may still bear obligations under those pre-1986 occurrence-based policies. The documented remediation costs — UST removal, soil excavation, site investigation — and the unresolved groundwater contamination ahead represent expenditures that historical insurers may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.