This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1956. 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 site traces directly to underground storage tanks installed in 1956 and 1982 — both well within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Groundwater sampling in the early 1990s confirmed lead contamination consistent with historical leaded-gasoline operations, tying the release squarely to pre-1986 activity. The documented remediation costs already incurred — tank removals, soil excavation, and more than two decades of groundwater monitoring — along with cleanup obligations still ahead represent expenditures that historical carriers 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.