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 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.

The underground storage tanks at this former Chevron and Pacific Quickstop station were installed and operated years before 1986 — USTs that were already corroding and leaking by 1990 reflect a failure timeline consistent with installation well before the mid-1980s. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to the station's operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented petroleum, solvent, and metals contamination in groundwater — and the remediation costs both incurred and still ahead — represent liabilities those historical carriers 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.