This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1948. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 contamination at this property originated from underground storage tank operations that ran for more than two decades before 1986 — well within the window when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Carriers who issued CGL coverage to the operators of this service station during its 1948-to-1969 run wrote those policies when gradual petroleum releases from USTs were a covered occurrence. The remediation costs this property now faces — ongoing investigation, waste management, and the multi-year cleanup anticipated under PLIA — are the type of expenditure that pre-1986 historical carriers 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.