This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1933. 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 traces to fueling operations that began more than five decades before 1986 — groundwater samples showing detectable total lead confirm the use of leaded gasoline, a product phased out well before the mid-1980s. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the station's operators during those pre-1986 decades carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented remediation expenditures here — tank removals, groundwater treatment, and over two decades of monitoring — 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.