This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This University Place property was formerly operated as Rainier Cleaners, a dry cleaning facility documented in Washington State Ecology's records and associated with suspected tetrachloroethylene (PCE) contamination in soil, groundwater, and soil vapor. An initial investigation has confirmed the suspected release; the site is currently designated under Ecology's Standard Cleanup program as awaiting cleanup, and no active remediation has yet commenced. No excavation, groundwater treatment, or other cleanup actions have been undertaken at the site to date. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 dry cleaning operations at this location almost certainly predate 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies — which carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington — were still the industry standard for businesses like Rainier Cleaners. The property owner now faces the full scope of upcoming cleanup costs: site characterization, remedial investigation, feasibility study, and eventual remediation of PCE-impacted soil, groundwater, and vapor. Historical carriers whose policies were in force while Rainier Cleaners was actively using PCE may be obligated to fund that forthcoming cleanup.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
