This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1981. 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 Redmond facility were installed in 1981 — five years before the industry shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies. CGL policies issued to the facility's operators during that pre-1986 window typically carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented cleanup costs incurred through the Voluntary Cleanup Program to address petroleum hydrocarbon and lead contamination in soil and groundwater represent expenditures that historical carriers who underwrote the facility during its 1981–1986 operational window may still be obligated to cover.

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.