This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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.

Lead detected in the groundwater here is a signature contaminant of petroleum operations that used leaded gasoline, a fuel phased out by 1986 — placing the responsible auto repair activities squarely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Leaking underground storage tanks releasing gasoline, diesel, and associated compounds are precisely the slow subsurface releases those policies were written to address. The property owner now faces a full remediation process ahead, and historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during Heury's operational period may be obligated to fund those cleanup costs.

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.