This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank going back to 1972. 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 heating oil tank at Lindbergh High School operated for more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and had no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The contamination here — heating oil that leaked through a severely corroded piping connection over an extended period — is precisely the type of gradual, long-running release those pre-1986 policies were written to address. Investigation, excavation, perched-water removal, and remaining remediation work all represent costs the historical carriers who insured the school district during that operational window may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.