This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1969. 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 predate 1986, and the UST installation dates — estimated around 1969 based on the tanks removed in 1994 — place the origin of contamination squarely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. PCE and TCE contamination in soil and groundwater is consistent with the slow, continuous releases typical of dry cleaning operations over decades. With cleanup still in progress, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover past remediation costs and to fund the remaining cleanup work.

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.