This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1960. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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 fueling operations at this property began in 1960 — more than twenty-five years before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies gave way to claims-made forms with pollution exclusions. The groundwater contamination documented here — lead, benzene, and petroleum hydrocarbons — is consistent with releases from decades of fueling operations that predate 1986. Historical CGL carriers who covered the station's operators during that pre-1986 window may still bear obligation for the remediation costs incurred to bring the site to its 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.