This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1930. 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 at this site began no later than 1963, more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still lacked an effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The gasoline and diesel releases that triggered decades of investigation, tank removals, soil work, and ongoing groundwater monitoring all trace to operations that ran throughout the pre-1986 insurance period. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the operators of the Lincoln Mutual #3 fueling station or the associated government maintenance facilities during that window may remain obligated to fund the continuing monitoring costs and to recover expenditures already incurred.

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.