This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1918. 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.

These underground storage tanks date to approximately 1918 — more than six decades before 1986 — and the lead contamination they left in soil and groundwater is a direct fingerprint of leaded-gasoline operations that long predate any effective pollution exclusion in the standard CGL policy form. The work already completed to close and contain those tanks represents costs that historical carriers may be obligated to recover; the Standard Cleanup remediation that lies ahead represents costs they may be obligated to fund going forward. Both categories of expenditure trace to releases from century-old USTs operated during a period when occurrence-based liability policies were routinely issued to automotive businesses without meaningful pollution carve-outs.

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.