This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1967. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property operated as a gasoline service station from at least 1967, with two underground storage tanks and a pump island used for fuel dispensing. Cleanup activities under the Standard Cleanup program included removal of both USTs, the pump island, and all associated piping, with excavations reaching up to 15 feet below grade. Approximately 27 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil were excavated and transported for off-site disposal, and pit water from the excavation was vacuumed out. The site has since received a No Further Action designation. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 contamination at this property — TPH-G, benzene, and lead from gasoline — is characteristic of leaded-fuel operations that predate the 1986 industry shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies. Underground storage tanks installed in the late 1960s and operated through subsequent decades were covered by CGL policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington State. The documented cleanup costs here — dual UST removals, deep soil excavations, and contaminated-soil disposal — represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued policies during that pre-1986 operational window may still be obligated to recover.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
