This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1975. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 were underway more than a decade before 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies effectively stopped covering pollution claims in Washington. The PCE and TCE contamination discovered in soil and groundwater is consistent with the kind of gradual, ongoing release that pre-1986 CGL policies were designed to cover. As the property now faces the full arc of remediation costs — site investigation, cleanup design, and eventual remediation — historical carriers who issued policies during Howard's Cleaners' pre-1986 operating years may be obligated to fund those expenses.

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.