This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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 Exxon station were removed before 1988, placing their installation and years of active fuel dispensing squarely in the pre-1986 era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Three decades of documented remediation — soil vapor extraction, groundwater monitoring from 1988 to 2018 — were required to address petroleum and lead contamination originating from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the decades the tanks were in service may still be obligated to recover those cleanup costs.

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.