This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1966. 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 originated from gasoline station operations that were in place by at least 1966 — two full decades before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims. The use of leaded gasoline, phased out by the mid-1980s, further anchors the contamination to the pre-1986 policy era. Documented remediation expenditures — large-scale soil excavation, tank and infrastructure removal, off-site bioremediation — represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window may be obligated to reimburse, with potential ongoing liability if further cleanup action is required.

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.