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.

Gasoline dispensing operations at this site began in the 1930s — more than five decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims in Washington. The contamination discovered here, including lead-bearing gasoline consistent with pre-1986 fuel formulations, originated squarely within the coverage window of those historical policies. Documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, large-scale soil excavation, and years of groundwater monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who wrote CGL policies during the station's operating life may be obligated both to recover 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.