This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1915. 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.

Automotive service operations at this property began in 1915 — more than seven decades before 1986 — and the petroleum hydrocarbons and trichloroethylene contamination documented here trace directly to those long-running pre-1986 activities. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to operators during that window carried no effective pollution exclusion and remain enforceable today. The site's documented and projected remediation costs — nine UST removals, 3,564 tons of excavated impacted soil, completed groundwater dewatering, and further groundwater treatment still ahead — represent both past expenditures to recover and future cleanup obligations that historical carriers may be required 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.