This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1972. 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.

Fuel dispensing operations at this site began at least fourteen years before 1986, during which time occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The petroleum contamination now being monitored and remediated traces directly to underground storage tanks and fueling infrastructure that were in service throughout that pre-1986 policy window. Documented remediation expenditures — independent cleanup actions, well installation, and years of quarterly monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who wrote CGL coverage during those operations may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues.

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.