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.

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.

The CVOC plume documented beneath this property — PCE at concentrations exceeding 1,400 µg/L — traces directly to dry cleaning solvent use and disposal at this address before 1986, the type of gradual subsurface release that occurrence-based CGL policies were written to cover. Carriers who issued policies to the dry cleaning operator during that window may be obligated to respond to claims arising from this specific contamination. The investigation, plume containment, and long-term treatment costs this property now faces could plausibly be funded by those historical policies rather than borne by the current property owner alone.

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.