This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1953. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has operated as a gasoline station since 1953, serving under successive brands including Chevron, My Uncle's Store, and Safeway. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included removal of multiple underground storage tanks, excavation of approximately 5,100 tons and 745 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil, and treatment of 54,000 gallons of hydrocarbon-impacted water recovered from the excavation. Bioremediation of impacted soil was also performed, and the site remains an ongoing remediation project with further actions and monitoring recommended. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 traces to underground storage tanks installed and operated as far back as 1953 — more than three decades before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The documented remediation costs already incurred — large-scale soil excavation, groundwater recovery and treatment, bioremediation — and the additional cleanup still ahead represent expenditures that historical carriers who wrote CGL policies during those pre-1986 fueling operations may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund going forward.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
