This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank going back to 1946. 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 releases here originated from heating-oil tanks installed when these homes were built in 1946 — nearly four decades before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began routinely excluding pollution claims. The contamination reflects the slow, long-running leakage pattern that pre-1986 CGL policies were written to address, and the remediation record documents substantial expenditures: UST removal, extensive soil excavation, groundwater treatment, and structural repairs necessitated by the cleanup itself. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the property owners during that pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover those past costs and to fund the cleanup work that remains.

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.