This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership 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 contamination in soil and groundwater is a reliable marker of operational activity predating 1986, when leaded gasoline was phased out of commercial use — placing the contamination origin squarely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Car dealership service operations conducted during that pre-1986 window would have been covered by such policies. The ongoing cleanup expenditures — investigation, remediation, and long-term monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the contamination period may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.