This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1920. 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.

Gasoline fueling and oil service operations at this property date to at least 1935 — more than five decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims. The petroleum and metals contamination now documented in soil and groundwater here traces directly to those decades of pre-1986 automotive operations. With cleanup underway and additional groundwater characterization still required, the historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window may be obligated both to recover past remediation expenditures and to fund the work that remains.

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.