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 tanks at this site were installed and operated well before 1986 — abandoned by 1989 with no surviving records, consistent with tanks dating to the 1960s or 1970s. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the station's operators during that era had no effective pollution exclusion and remain enforceable in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures — in-situ treatment, site investigation, feasibility study, and ongoing cleanup for gasoline and BTEX contamination in soil and groundwater — represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.