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 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 Mobil-branded station at this property was operating before 1986, during the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum contamination discovered in groundwater — benzene, diesel, gasoline, and solvent compounds — originated from underground storage infrastructure installed and operated under those pre-1986 policies. The remediation costs incurred to bring all five contaminant classes below cleanup standards represent expenditures that historical CGL carriers who covered this station during its pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to reimburse.

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.