This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1948. 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 property began in 1948 — nearly four decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims in Washington. The PCE and TCE contamination confirmed in soil and groundwater is the type of gradual, operations-driven release those pre-1986 policies were written to address. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, thousands of tons of soil excavation, years of chemical injections, vapor extraction, and ongoing monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the 1948-to-1983 operating window may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund 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.