This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1982. 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 releases at this property stem from dry cleaning operations that ran from 1982 through 2018 — meaning contamination was accumulating for four years before the 1986 threshold after which pollution exclusions became standard in Commercial General Liability policies. Occurrence-based CGL policies in force during those early operational years carried no effective pollution exclusion and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation trail — soil excavation, engineered vapor controls, and years of ongoing monitoring — represents expenditures that historical carriers whose policies covered this site during the pre-1986 window may be obligated both to recover 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.