This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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 traces to underground storage tanks that were in service well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The scale of documented remediation — thousands of tons of contaminated soil removed, a groundwater interception and treatment system constructed, and years of ongoing monitoring — represents substantial cleanup expenditures tied to releases that began during the pre-1986 policy window. Historical carriers who covered the fueling operation during that period may be obligated both to reimburse past remediation costs 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.