This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1931. 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.

Fueling operations at this property — anchored by a building constructed in 1931 — predate the 1986 threshold by more than five decades, well within the window when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The gasoline-range hydrocarbon contamination documented in soil and groundwater here traces directly to those historical UST operations, and the costs of investigation, monitoring, and active remediation are precisely the expenditures that pre-1986 carriers 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.