This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility predating 1986. 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.

The petroleum contamination at this site is tied directly to a gasoline UST that was in service well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Nearly three decades of documented assessment and remediation activity — tank removal, contaminated soil management, and ongoing soil and groundwater investigation — represent expenditures that historical carriers who covered the school district's operations during the pre-1986 period may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund through completion of cleanup.

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.