This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1953. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property has operated as a dry cleaning facility since 1953, with perchloroethylene (PCE) released into soil and groundwater over the course of that extended operation. A 1995 Agreed Order mandated remedial investigation and feasibility study work, leading to the removal of 118.2 tons of PCE-contaminated soil and two underground storage tanks in 1996. A Consent Decree entered in 1999 formalized ongoing cleanup obligations and cost recovery from Westco Inc., and quarterly groundwater monitoring continued until cleanup levels were confirmed in February 2003. The property reached No Further Action status and continues to operate today as One Hour Martinizing. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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.
PCE contamination at this site originated from dry cleaning operations that began in 1953 — more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies still lacked effective pollution exclusions. The Consent Decree's explicit cost-recovery framework against Westco Inc. reflects that significant, documented remediation expenditures were incurred: soil excavation, UST removal, a multi-year investigation and feasibility study, and years of groundwater monitoring. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the dry cleaning operator during that pre-1986 window remain plausible sources of recovery for those documented cleanup costs.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
