This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1973. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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-dispensing infrastructure installed and operated beginning in 1973 — more than a decade before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The release from the dispenser islands was a slow, operational-period event, not a sudden accident, which is precisely the type of occurrence these pre-1986 policies were written to cover. Nearly two decades of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, well installation, and long-term groundwater monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window 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.