This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1971. 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 college's 1971 opening places its campus infrastructure — including the petroleum UST at this facilities site — squarely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum-diesel contamination confirmed in groundwater originated from a tank very likely part of the original campus build-out, more than a decade before 1986. Remediation costs already incurred and those still ahead — tank decommissioning, groundwater investigation, and ongoing cleanup — represent expenditures the historical carriers may be obligated to cover.

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.