This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1956. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property operated as a dry cleaning facility beginning in 1956, under the names Imperial Linen Company and Covey Cleaners, with tetrachloroethylene (PCE) used for dry cleaning and stored in underground storage tanks. Remediation under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included removal of four USTs and excavation of approximately 19,900 tons of PCE-contaminated soil in 2006 and 2007, followed by an additional 6,600 tons of soil excavation in 2009. A groundwater interception system — footing drains and a sump — was also installed to address subsurface PCE migration. The site has since received a No Further Action determination. 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.
Tetrachloroethylene contamination at this property originated from dry cleaning operations and PCE storage in underground tanks that predated 1986 by three decades — a period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The scale of remediation here — over 26,500 tons of excavated soil, four removed USTs, and a permanent groundwater interception system — reflects cleanup costs tied directly to those pre-1986 operations under the Imperial Linen Company and Covey Cleaners. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window may still be obligated to recover those documented expenditures.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
