This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1978. 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.

The petroleum contamination at this property traces directly to a fuel UST system installed in approximately 1978 and confirmed in operation before 1986 — a period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The remediation work already completed — UST removals, years of groundwater monitoring, and 15 rounds of bioremediation injections — represents documented expenditures tied to those pre-1986 releases, and a planned chemical oxidation program will generate further cleanup costs. Historical carriers that issued CGL policies during that operational window may be obligated both to recover those past costs and to fund the remediation that remains.

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.