This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1932. 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.

Service station operations at this property date to at least 1932 — more than five decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies still routinely covered pollution claims without effective exclusion. Underground storage tanks were installed and operated across three decades of that pre-1986 window, from 1951 through 1981, with petroleum releases reaching groundwater. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during those years of active fueling operations may be obligated to cover the remediation costs incurred to achieve the site's No Further Action status.

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.