This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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.

A residential heating oil tank of the kind documented at this property is typically installed with the residence itself, meaning the tank here was likely in service well before 1986 — and the gradual, ongoing release that produced diesel contamination in both soil and groundwater is consistent with that long-standing operational history. Pre-1986 occurrence-based CGL policies would have covered exactly this kind of slow, continuous release from a fixed residential installation. The investigation, soil remediation, and groundwater treatment costs this property now faces could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in effect during the tank's operational years.

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.