This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1940. 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 1940 and generated PCE and TCE contamination — slow-release solvents whose subsurface migration was documented continuously from 1961 through 1985, entirely within the period when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Historical carriers who issued coverage to the operators during those four-plus decades may remain obligated under those pre-1986 policies. The documented remediation expenditures — UST removal, vapor extraction and air sparging pilots, containment paving, and years of groundwater monitoring — represent costs those carriers may be obligated to recover, with further cleanup expenditures anticipated as the site progresses toward closure.

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.