This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1972. 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 contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated continuously from 1972 — fourteen years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The remediation expenditures incurred to investigate and address the lead, benzene, and petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in groundwater — UST removal, remedial investigation, and associated cleanup — were driven by releases tied directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the operator during the 1972–1986 window may still be obligated to recover those documented costs.

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.