This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1968. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site traces to underground storage tanks installed and operated nearly two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The discovery of leaded gasoline in an abandoned UST confirms pre-1986 fueling operations as the contamination source. Documented remediation expenditures spanning more than a decade — large-scale soil excavation, tank removals, fluid recovery, and long-term groundwater monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who insured this station during the pre-1986 window may be obligated both to reimburse and to continue funding.

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.