This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility predating 1986. 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 used perchloroethylene — a chlorinated solvent whose slow migration through soil and groundwater is precisely the kind of gradual, ongoing release that pre-1986 occurrence-based CGL policies were written to cover. With cleanup started and monitoring confirming PCE levels still above standards, the remediation costs ahead — continued monitoring, potential active treatment, regulatory compliance — are likely to grow. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the pre-1986 operational window may bear an obligation both to reimburse investigation costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup work still to come.

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.