This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1977. 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 began in 1977 — nearly a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still lacked effective pollution exclusions in Washington. The PCE and TCE releases documented in groundwater here are precisely the type of gradual, ongoing contamination those pre-1986 policies were written to address. Historical carriers whose policies were in force during Cascade Cleaners' operational years may be obligated both to recover the remediation costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup work that remains ahead.

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.