This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1920. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 at this property — gasoline range organics, diesel range organics, and benzene in soil and soil gas — originated from service station operations that ran for more than five decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies still lacked effective pollution exclusions. The contamination timeline, beginning no later than 1920, places the triggering releases squarely within the era of pre-1986 policy issuance. The investigation and cleanup costs now facing this property — remediation design, soil treatment, and disposal of contaminated waste — are expenditures that historical carriers whose policies covered those decades of fueling and repair operations 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.