This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1950. 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.

Gasoline service station operations at this property began in 1950 and ran for three decades, well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The PAH contamination documented in soil and groundwater here is explicitly characterized as old and highly degraded, consistent with releases originating from those pre-1986 fueling operations rather than any subsequent incident. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to operators during the 1950–1980 service station period may carry obligations both to recover remediation costs already incurred and to fund the investigation, UST removal, and cleanup work that lies ahead.

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.