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 tank infrastructure at this Chevron station predates 1986 — tanks that were already leaking by 1992 are consistent with installation decades earlier, during the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The confirmed groundwater contamination and ongoing cleanup costs at this site represent liabilities that may fall within the coverage obligations of historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during the station's pre-1986 operations.

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.