This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1948. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site — lead and aged gasoline in soil and groundwater — originated from fueling operations that began in 1948, nearly four decades before occurrence-based CGL policies ceased covering pollution claims in 1986. Texaco, Signal Oil, and Exxon each operated the station during the pre-1986 window when those policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures already incurred — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, and over two decades of groundwater monitoring — along with costs still accumulating represent obligations the historical carriers who insured those operators may be required 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.