This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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.

The presence of lead in groundwater at this station points to fueling operations that predate the mid-1980s phaseout of leaded gasoline — and therefore predate the 1986 shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies. CGL policies issued to the station's operators during that earlier window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation expenditures — decades of groundwater monitoring, well decommissioning, site remediation — represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues.

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.