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 PCE contamination here originated from dry cleaning operations at a facility that, together with its co-located Mini-Market, was in active commercial operation since at least 1981 — well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented plume migration, impacted soil, and affected groundwater reflect precisely the kind of slow, continuing release that pre-1986 CGL policies were written to cover. The planned PCE remediation and ongoing groundwater monitoring represent future cleanup expenditures that historical carriers whose policies were in force during those pre-1986 operations may be obligated to fund.

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.