This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1946. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property operated as a fuel service station from 1946 until 1960, with underground storage tanks dispensing gasoline, diesel, and motor oil during that period. The original service station building and pump island slab remain on the property. Subsequent investigation confirmed petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in soil and groundwater attributable to those historical operations; the site is currently awaiting cleanup, with the owner evaluating additional investigation and remediation options. 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 petroleum releases at this property trace to underground storage tank operations that ceased in 1960 — more than 25 years before the 1986 threshold at which occurrence-based CGL policies began reliably excluding pollution claims. Carriers who issued those policies to the fuel service station operators during its 14-year operational window may retain obligations tied to contamination that originated during the covered period. The costs now facing the property owner — expanded investigation, remedial design, and cleanup — are the type of expenditures pre-1986 CGL policies were written to fund.
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.
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.
