This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility predating 1986. 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.

National Cleaners' PCE release — confirmed by a downgradient plume already exceeding MTCA Method A standards — originated from a historical dry cleaning operation conducted well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The presence of TCE and vinyl chloride alongside the parent PCE compound indicates a long-standing, ongoing release pattern of precisely the type those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. With site investigation just beginning and active remediation not yet underway, the cleanup costs ahead — groundwater treatment, soil remediation, long-term monitoring — are expenditures that historical carriers whose policies were in force during National Cleaners' operations 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.