This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1952. 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 documented in soil and groundwater here originated from a gasoline service station that operated for over two decades, closing in 1973 — more than a decade before effective pollution exclusions became standard in Commercial General Liability policies. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the service station's operators during the 1952–1973 window carried no meaningful pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation expenditures at this site — prior cleanup campaigns, structural demolition, and ongoing subsurface investigation — represent costs potentially recoverable from the historical carriers whose policies were in force during those pre-1986 operations.

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.