This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1970. 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.

Gasoline storage and dispensing operations at this property date to 1970, placing more than fifteen years of UST operations squarely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. Confirmed groundwater contamination — lead, benzene, and petroleum hydrocarbons — traces directly to those decades of underground storage tank operations. With cleanup started and remediation costs accruing under the Voluntary Cleanup Program, historical carriers who covered the property during that pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover costs already incurred and to fund the work still ahead.

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.