This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1966. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property operated as a gasoline station with three steel underground storage tanks — 10,000, 5,000, and 500 gallons — likely installed in the mid-to-late 1960s, along with a 2,000-gallon gasoline UST added in 1987. The three older tanks were removed in January 1991; the 1987 tank was used until October 1993. A Site Hazard Assessment documented petroleum contamination including free product on groundwater and contamination at the soil-groundwater interface. The site entered the Voluntary Cleanup Program and has reached No Further Action status. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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.
Petroleum storage and dispensing at this property began decades before 1986, with steel USTs likely installed in the mid-to-late 1960s and operated continuously through the era when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The gasoline contamination discovered in groundwater — including free product — is tied directly to releases from those pre-1986 tank operations. Historical carriers who provided CGL coverage during that operational window may bear responsibility for the investigation and remediation costs incurred to bring this site to closure.
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.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.