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.

Lead detected in groundwater directly ties the contamination at this site to fuel dispensing operations that predate 1986 — the era when leaded gasoline was still in use and occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Carriers who issued CGL coverage to operators during that pre-1986 window remain potentially obligated on those policies today. The site's years of documented monitoring activity and its ongoing enrollment in the Voluntary Cleanup Program represent both past remediation expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated to recover and future cleanup costs those same carriers may be required to fund.

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.