This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1974. 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.

The presence of leaded gasoline constituents in soil around the former USTs and fuel dispensers places this station's operations squarely in the pre-1986 era, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, groundwater treatment, and over a decade of monitoring — were incurred to address petroleum releases tied directly to those historical fueling operations. With cleanup still underway and an environmental covenant signaling ongoing obligations, the historical carriers who covered this station during its pre-1986 operating window may be obligated both to recover past costs and to fund the remaining remediation.

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.