This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1982. 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.

The underground storage tanks at this property were installed in 1982, placing the origin of fueling operations — and the contamination that followed — squarely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. Benzene and petroleum-diesel hydrocarbons found in groundwater trace directly to releases from those pre-1986 tank systems. The costs incurred for investigation, tank decommissioning, and soil removal to bring the site to No Further Action status represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window may still be obligated to cover.

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.