This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1969. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property was operated by Time Oil Co. as a retail gasoline station beginning no later than 1969, when the building was constructed. Three underground storage tanks used to store gasoline were abandoned in place and later excavated and removed in October 2003, along with petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated backfill soil discovered in the UST area. Groundwater remediation included extensive monitoring, purging, well development, and containment of extracted water and drill cuttings in 55-gallon drums for offsite disposal. The site received a No Further Action determination under the Voluntary Cleanup Program. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 property originated from underground storage tanks that were installed and operated as part of a retail gasoline station dating to at least 1969 — nearly two decades before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The documented remediation costs — tank removal, contaminated soil excavation, multi-year groundwater monitoring and treatment — were incurred to address releases tied directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who wrote CGL policies covering Time Oil Co. during that operational window may still be obligated to reimburse those cleanup expenditures.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
