This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership predating 1986. 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.

The contamination documented here — petroleum hydrocarbons and a chlorinated paint-stripping compound from vehicle service and bodywork operations — reflects the kind of gradual, cumulative release that pre-1986 occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were written to address. The site's documented contamination is attributed to long-term auto repair activities rather than any discrete recent incident, which raises the plausibility that releases began during an era when such policies had no effective pollution exclusion. Carriers who issued CGL policies to the dealership's prior operators during that window may bear obligations both for investigation costs already incurred and for the multi-year groundwater management program now anticipated.

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.