This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1980. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property was developed as a 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station in 1980, with three 10,000-gallon single-wall steel underground storage tanks installed on September 1, 1980. The first-generation fuel system operated from 1980 to 1996, when the original tanks were decommissioned and replaced with double-wall USTs in early 1997. Benzene and petroleum-gasoline compounds were detected in groundwater beneath the site, and cleanup activities under the Voluntary Cleanup Program have been completed, with the property achieving No Further Action status. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 petroleum contamination at this property originated from single-wall steel underground storage tanks that were installed and operated for six years before 1986, during the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation costs incurred to address benzene and gasoline contamination in groundwater — from the initial release through the cleanup that secured No Further Action status — are tied directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers whose CGL policies were in effect during the 1980–1986 operating window may still be obligated to recover those expenditures.
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.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.