This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1983. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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.

Petroleum contamination at this property traces to underground storage tanks installed and operated before 1986, during the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The presence of lead in soil samples confirms that fuel dispensing predates the phaseout of leaded gasoline, anchoring the contamination origin squarely within that pre-1986 policy window. More than two decades of documented remediation expenditures — site investigations, soil removal, groundwater injection treatment, long-term monitoring — represent costs that historical CGL carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to continue funding as cleanup work proceeds.

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.