This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1924. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as a gasoline service station from 1924 through the 1960s, with underground storage tanks that have since left confirmed gasoline contamination in both soil and groundwater. Site investigations have identified the likelihood that tanks remain in place beneath an existing building on the property. Cleanup actions — potentially including tank excavation and soil removal — are planned in coordination with future property redevelopment, and work is ongoing under Washington's Standard Cleanup program. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 here originated from underground storage tank operations that began in 1924, more than six decades before the 1986 threshold at which occurrence-based CGL policies lost their practical pollution coverage. Investigation costs already incurred to characterize the gasoline plume in soil and groundwater represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued policies during the station's operational decades may be obligated to recover. With tank excavation, soil remediation, and groundwater cleanup still ahead, those same pre-1986 policies may also be obligated to fund the 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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
