This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank going back to 1950. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This Puyallup property carries a contamination history rooted in a 675-gallon steel heating oil underground storage tank installed by SeaFirst Bank in the late 1940s or early 1950s — decades before the property became home to Johnsons Jewelry & Gifts. In June 2002, Langseth Environmental decommissioned and removed the leaking UST, completing associated soil excavation and backfilling. No further remediation activities have been reported since the 2002 removal, and the site remains in awaiting-cleanup status. 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 diesel release at this property originated from a heating oil tank installed at least three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and lacked effective pollution exclusions in Washington. SeaFirst Bank — the commercial entity that installed the tank — operated during precisely the era those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. The cleanup costs still pending at this site, including any investigation, remediation design, and active remediation yet to come, represent expenditures that historical carriers whose policies were in effect during the tank's operational life may be obligated 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.
