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 marina traces to a leaded gasoline UST that was installed and operated well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The confirmed 1989 release from that tank triggered decades of investigation and remediation activity — site assessment, tank removal, remedial investigation, and ongoing groundwater characterization — costs that accumulated from a release rooted in pre-1986 fuel operations. Historical carriers who covered the marina's operations during the period the UST was in service may be obligated both to recover past remediation expenditures and to fund the cleanup work still ahead.

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.