This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1958. 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 and fueling operations that began in 1958 — nearly three decades before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with pollution exclusions. The multi-phase remediation costs already incurred here — repeated excavations, tank removals, long-term groundwater monitoring, and leak detection infrastructure — along with the planned future cleanup work, represent expenditures that historical carriers who wrote policies during the 1958–1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover 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.