This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership going back to 1924. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property housed a car dealership from approximately 1924 through 1988, with South Tacoma Motor Company operating on-site from 1951 to 1988 and Gilchrist Buick/Chevrolet occupying the site under a lease from 1988 to 1998. Contamination tied to the dealership's service operations prompted the removal of eight underground storage tanks in 1989 and four hydraulic hoists in 1993, each with associated oil-contaminated soils. The property has appeared on Washington's contaminated sites list since 1994, and a SHARP report was generated in 2024, reflecting ongoing long-term site management with no active soil or groundwater remediation reported as of 2003. 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.
Automotive dealership operations at this property began more than six decades before 1986 — the underground storage tanks and hydraulic hoists that left oil contamination in the soil were installed and operated by South Tacoma Motor Company and its predecessors across more than 60 years prior to that threshold. The carriers who issued CGL policies to those named operators during that extended window may bear obligations toward the excavation, UST removal, and hoist-removal costs already documented at this site, as well as any future remediation expenditures that remain 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.
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
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
