This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1950. 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.

This gas station operated continuously from 1950 through the late 1980s under four successive operators — a nearly four-decade window that falls entirely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. That pre-1986 operational history, including underground storage tank infrastructure installed and removed during that period, establishes a basis for examining whether historical CGL coverage may apply to the documented remediation expenditures at this site. With cleanup still in progress, those costs — including decades of groundwater monitoring — may continue to accrue.

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.