This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1980. 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.

The detection of lead in soil and groundwater at this site points to leaded gasoline usage — a hallmark of operations predating the mid-1980s, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Remediation costs already incurred across multiple phases of soil excavation, tank replacement, well installation, and years of groundwater monitoring trace directly to releases from those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the station's early operating years may be obligated both to recover past cleanup expenditures and to fund the ongoing monitoring program.

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.