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.

PCE and TCE contamination of the type documented here is the signature of dry cleaning operations that were commonplace decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and lacked effective pollution exclusions. The RI/FS now underway to define the PCE and TCE plume is the opening phase of what is likely to be a substantial remediation program; the costs of that remediation — investigation, design, and eventual cleanup — are precisely the expenditures that historical CGL carriers may be obligated to fund. Any insurer that issued policies covering this facility's operations prior to 1986 remains a viable target for recovery.

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.