This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1925. 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 underground storage tanks that were in continuous service for more than half a century before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The remediation costs already incurred — decades of soil excavation, tank removal, groundwater treatment, incineration, and long-term monitoring — along with the remaining cleanup obligations under the restrictive covenant represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to reimburse 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.