This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1930. 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 — gasoline, benzene, diesel, and lead indicative of leaded-fuel dispensing — originated from service station operations that began more than half a century before 1986. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to operators during that 1930-to-1978 window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented remediation expenditures — UST-area excavation, vapor extraction, groundwater injection treatment, and years of monitoring — represent costs the historical carriers may be obligated to recover, and the dormant status of the cleanup suggests additional remediation costs may yet be incurred.

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.