This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership 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 three gasoline USTs abandoned at this property in 1964 place the contamination's origin more than two decades before 1986 — during the period when CGL policies issued to automotive dealerships routinely covered pollution claims arising from fueling and service operations. The documented remediation at Mell Chevrolet Olds — UST removal, nearly 350 tons of TPH-affected soil excavated and hauled off-site, biostimulation injections, and years of groundwater sampling — represents costs potentially attributable to the carriers who insured those pre-1986 operations. Because cleanup is still active, those historical carriers may be obligated not only to reimburse expenditures already incurred but to fund the remediation work that remains.

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.