This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank going back to 1900. 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 buildings on this assemblage date to 1900 and 1906, and their heating oil infrastructure was operational for decades before 1986 — the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. Petroleum impacts confirmed across the property trace directly to historical releases from those long-serving heating oil tanks, as documented in AECOM's investigation. The remediation costs already incurred and those still ahead — site investigation, groundwater monitoring, and cleanup of diesel-range contamination and free-phase product — represent liabilities that historical CGL carriers who covered the property during its pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to fund.

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.