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 petroleum contamination at this property stems from fuel-station operations and underground storage tanks that were already subject to regulatory investigation by 1994 — placing the likely origin of the release years earlier, during the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Cleanup costs incurred to address gasoline contamination in soil and groundwater at this site — and the additional remediation expenditures still ahead — represent obligations that historical carriers who covered the fuel-station operations may be required both to reimburse 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.