This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1969. 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.

Gasoline contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated continuously from 1969 — nearly two decades before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The remediation expenditures already incurred here — thousands of tons of soil removal, tens of thousands of gallons of contaminated water recovery, chemical oxidant treatment — along with the quarter-million-dollar monitoring commitment still ahead, represent costs that historical carriers who wrote CGL policies during the 1969–1986 operational window may be obligated 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.