This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1967. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property was developed as a Shell-branded gasoline station in 1967–1968 by West Coast Development Company, with two 10,000-gallon single-wall steel underground storage tanks installed approximately 1967. Kwik-Check Realty Company acquired the property in 1976 and leased it to Southland Corporation, which operated it as a 7-Eleven gasoline service station until 1993, when the USTs were decommissioned. Benzene and petroleum hydrocarbons from gasoline were detected in groundwater, and cleanup was conducted under Washington's Voluntary Cleanup Program, ultimately achieving 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.
The underground storage tanks at this site were installed approximately 1967 and operated continuously for nearly two decades before the 1986 cutoff after which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began excluding pollution claims. Shell and subsequent operators held CGL policies during that pre-1986 window that carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The remediation costs incurred to address petroleum and benzene contamination in groundwater — from tank decommissioning through the Voluntary Cleanup Program to final closure — represent expenditures that historical carriers who insured this site's gasoline operations may still be obligated to cover.
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.