This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1919. 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 property — including free product, gasoline-range hydrocarbons, and BTEX compounds — traces directly to underground storage tank operations that began more than six decades before 1986. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the station and hotel operators during those pre-1986 decades carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented remediation costs already incurred — tank removal, multi-area excavation, bioventing, and years of groundwater monitoring — along with the further treatment still recommended, represent expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund going forward.

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.