This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1950. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property housed a gasoline service station with multiple underground storage tanks on its south portion during the 1950s and 1960s. A 2014 Phase II investigation confirmed a release of petroleum hydrocarbons from those former operations, with TPH-G detected at 1,700 ppm and xylenes at 110 ppm in soil near the former station footprint. Cleanup activities on the adjacent Winfield Cleaners parcel — including removal of a diesel UST, closure-in-place of a solvent UST, and excavation of 86 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil — are part of the broader remediation effort, while active cleanup at the Manette Plaza site itself is pending under the Voluntary Cleanup Program. 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 petroleum hydrocarbon contamination documented at this property originates from underground fuel storage and dispensing operations that predate 1986 by two to three decades. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to the service station operators during the 1950s and 1960s carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law, and they remain enforceable today. The investigation costs already incurred and the remediation expenditures ahead — including the multi-phase work spanning the Manette Plaza parcel and the adjacent Winfield Cleaners property — represent liabilities that historical carriers 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.
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.
