This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1970. 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.

Dry cleaning operations at this site began in the 1970s — more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and had no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. PCE and TCE contamination of the kind documented here, arising from decades of solvent handling at a commercial dry cleaner, is precisely the slow, ongoing release those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. The investigation and remediation costs the property owner now faces could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force during the years the dry cleaning facility was operating.

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.