This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station 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.

The petroleum contamination at this property originated from underground storage tanks whose lining failures represent the kind of gradual, long-duration release that predates the 1986 shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability coverage. The cleanup costs this property faces — remedial investigation, feasibility study, and eventual remediation of benzene and gasoline-range contamination in groundwater — have yet to be fully incurred, and historical CGL carriers whose policies were in force during the decades these tanks were in service may be obligated to fund the work 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.