This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1958. 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 — including total lead consistent with decades of leaded gasoline sales — originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated continuously from the late 1950s through 1993, spanning the entire era when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures already incurred — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation and treatment, years of groundwater injection and monitoring — along with costs still accumulating represent obligations that historical carriers who insured this station during its pre-1986 operating window may be required both to reimburse 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.