This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1945. 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 underground storage tanks at this property were installed and operated beginning in 1945 — more than four decades before the 1986 shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that lacked effective pollution exclusions. Petroleum contamination confirmed during the 2011 tank removal traces directly to releases during that extended pre-1986 operational window. Historical CGL carriers whose policies were in force while this service station operated may bear obligations both to recover documented remediation expenditures and to fund the continuing groundwater monitoring and any future cleanup work required.

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.