This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1900. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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.

Fueling and auto repair operations at this property date to at least 1900, with petroleum releases confirmed to the 1935–1985 window — decades before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began excluding pollution claims in 1986. The groundwater contamination documented here — petroleum hydrocarbons, lead, benzene, and MTBE — is directly attributable to those long-running pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies covering this property during that era of fueling and repair activity may still be obligated to recover the remediation costs incurred to bring the site to its No Further Action status.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.