This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property has operated as a gasoline service station and mini-mart with multiple underground storage tanks, including 10,000-gallon unleaded gasoline USTs and a 4,000-gallon diesel UST. Petroleum contamination was detected beneath the pump islands, prompting multiple phases of UST removal and contaminated soil excavation between 1996 and 2012, installation of groundwater monitoring wells in 2010, and environmental sampling as recently as 2023. The site remains in active commercial use as a service station, and cleanup planning is ongoing. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 releases at this site originated from leaking underground storage tanks that, based on their 1996 removal dates, were installed and operating well before 1986 — the year occurrence-based CGL policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims. Decades of documented investigation and remediation work have already been incurred, and the site's "Awaiting Cleanup" status means substantial additional costs lie ahead. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to fund the cleanup expenditures this property still faces.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
