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.

The PCE and TCE contamination at this property originated from dry cleaning operations that were underway more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Chlorinated solvent releases of this kind — slow-migrating, confirmed in both soil and groundwater — are the precise exposure that pre-1986 CGL policies were written to cover. As the site moves toward formal remediation, historical carriers whose policies were in force during the cleaner's pre-1986 operational years may be obligated to fund the cleanup costs now facing the property.

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.