This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1900. 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.

Motor pool operations at this facility predate 1986 by decades, and the waste oil UST replaced in 1998 succeeded a tank whose installation history is consistent with pre-1986 service. The petroleum contamination found in groundwater here traces to underground storage tank operations that span that pre-1986 window, when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Remediation costs already incurred and those still ahead — site assessment, groundwater cleanup, monitoring — represent expenditures that historical carriers who covered the facility during those earlier decades may be obligated to fund.

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.