This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1963. 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 began in 1963 — more than two decades before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with pollution exclusions in 1986. The petroleum and benzene contamination now documented in soil and groundwater traces directly to those decades of pre-1986 UST operations. Remediation costs already incurred and those still ahead — investigation, groundwater treatment, long-term monitoring — represent expenditures that historical carriers who covered this facility during its 1963-to-1986 operating 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.