This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1940. 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.

Gasoline storage and dispensing operations at this property began in the 1940s and continued through the installation of underground storage tanks in 1961 and 1973 — all decades before the 1986 shift away from occurrence-based Commercial General Liability coverage. The groundwater contamination documented here traces directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations and tank installations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the decades this site operated as a service station may be obligated to recover the remediation costs incurred through the Voluntary Cleanup Program.

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.