This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1959. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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 property traces directly to gasoline USTs installed in 1959 and oil storage tanks added in 1982 — both well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. More than a decade of documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, soil excavation, groundwater treatment, and long-term monitoring — were incurred to address releases tied to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the Texaco-era operators may be obligated both to recover those past costs and to fund the cleanup work that remains.

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.