This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1977. 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.

Dry cleaning operations at this property began in 1977, nearly a decade before 1986 — the year pollution exclusions became standard in Commercial General Liability policies — and continued releasing chlorinated solvents throughout that pre-1986 window. The contaminants documented here, PCE and its breakdown products TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, and vinyl chloride, are precisely the type of gradual, historical discharge that occurrence-based CGL policies were written to address. Carriers who issued policies to the dry cleaning operator during that period may be obligated both to recover the documented remediation costs — years of continuous vapor extraction plus ongoing monitoring — and to fund cleanup work that remains incomplete.

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.