This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1972. 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 Eastgate Plaza location ran from 1972 through 2017 — 14 of those years predating the 1986 cutoff when occurrence-based CGL policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The contamination profile here, PCE and TCE at concentrations exceeding MTCA Method A soil cleanup levels, reflects releases tied directly to that pre-1986 operational window, and the remediation scope now underway — SVE wells, sub-slab depressurization, soil excavation — represents the kind of documented expenditure those historical carriers may be obligated to fund.

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.