This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1957. 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 release at this property is directly attributed to underground storage tanks installed around 1957 and operated for close to four decades before 1986 — the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies covered pollution events without an effective exclusion. Documented remediation costs already include a multi-year investigation and vacuum-truck extraction of contaminated liquids, with additional soil excavation and LNAPL recovery still ahead. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover costs already incurred and to fund the remediation 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.