This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1927. 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 property traces to fueling operations and underground storage tanks that were in continuous use for nearly six decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies still provided broad pollution coverage. The scale of documented remediation — tens of thousands of tons of soil removed, extensive groundwater and vapor treatment systems deployed over four decades — represents substantial cleanup expenditures tied directly to those pre-1986 releases. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the station's 1927–1986 operating window may be obligated both to reimburse costs already incurred and to fund the remediation work that remains ahead.

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.