This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site originated from fueling operations that predate 1986 — total lead detected in groundwater samples as early as 1992 points to the use of leaded gasoline, a product phased out decades ago. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to the station's operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. With cleanup still under way and more than two decades of monitoring costs already incurred, historical carriers who covered this facility may be obligated both to reimburse past remediation expenditures and to fund the ongoing cleanup.

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.