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.

Gasoline-range petroleum contamination at this site — TPH, BTEX, and MTBE in soil and groundwater — originated from underground storage tanks that were operational well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Nearly two decades of documented remediation expenditures — tank closure, vapor extraction, air sparging, groundwater recovery, and long-term monitoring — represent costs the historical carriers who covered the facility during its pre-1986 operational period may be obligated both to reimburse 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.