This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1967. 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 site originated from fuel storage and dispensing infrastructure installed and operated continuously from 1971 — fifteen years before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with pollution exclusions. Lead detected in groundwater confirms the use of leaded gasoline during the earliest phase of operations, tying the contamination directly to that pre-1986 window. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, vapor extraction, and more than three decades of groundwater monitoring — represent costs the historical carriers who insured those operations may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund through completion of cleanup.

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.