This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 contamination beneath this property traces to underground storage tank operations that predate the 1986 shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability coverage. The subsurface infrastructure and extent of TPH contamination point to long-term fuel storage and dispensing — exactly the kind of gradual release that pre-1986 CGL policies were written to cover before effective pollution exclusions took hold. The cleanup costs this property now faces — additional investigation, remedial design, and eventual remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force during the decades those tanks were in operation.

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.