This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1970. 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 contamination at this property originated from dry cleaning operations that ran for more than a decade before 1986 — the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies had no effective pollution exclusion and remained the industry standard. The documented remediation record here spans soil excavation sufficient to reach NFA status, years of groundwater containment and monitoring, and soil vapor and indoor air investigation — all expenditures tied directly to releases from those pre-1986 dry cleaning operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Fowlds Dry Cleaners during that operational window may be obligated to recover past remediation costs and to fund any work that remains.

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.