This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1966. 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 site began approximately two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The chlorinated solvents identified here — PCE, TCE, DCE, and vinyl chloride — are the products of slow, ongoing releases characteristic of decades of solvent use, precisely the contamination profile those pre-1986 policies were written to address. Historical carriers whose policies were in force during Ken's Skyway Cleaners' operational years may be obligated both to recover documented expenditures already incurred and to fund the investigation and cleanup work required under the consent decree going forward.

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.