This property has a documented history as a automobile dealership going back to 1920. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this property — from a heating-oil UST operated from the 1950s through 1985 and from hydraulic lift equipment used in auto maintenance — originated entirely from operations predating 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still lacked effective pollution exclusions in Washington. The documented cleanup costs already incurred — multiple excavations, UST closure, and years of groundwater monitoring — combined with projected future expenditures for delineation, additional cleanup, and well replacement represent a substantial and ongoing liability trail. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the decades of pre-1986 automobile service operations at this site may be obligated both to recover costs already spent and to fund the cleanup 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.