This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1951. 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 originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated continuously from 1951 — more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented remediation expenditures — UST removal, multiple rounds of investigation, and ongoing groundwater cleanup — were incurred to address releases tied directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that 35-year operational window may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund the remediation work that remains.

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.