This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1905. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this property traces to automobile fueling and service operations that began around 1905 — more than eight decades before the 1986 shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability coverage. The undocumented USTs discovered on site, including one of pre-modern riveted steel construction, are physical evidence of infrastructure installed and operated during the era when CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Remediation costs already incurred and still accumulating — tank removal, contaminated-groundwater investigation, and ongoing cleanup — represent expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated to recover and to fund going forward.

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.