This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1945. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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.

Fueling operations at this site stretch from 1945 through the entire pre-1986 era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The fourteen USTs removed in 1996 were in service for decades before 1986, and the soil and groundwater contamination tied to those historical operations generated documented remediation costs — UST decommissioning, soil excavation and thermal treatment, and groundwater monitoring. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window may be obligated both to recover those past expenditures and to fund cleanup work that remains open.

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.