This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1970. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

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 at this property originated from dry cleaning operations conducted entirely before 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased to reliably cover pollution claims in Washington. The facility's eleven-year operating window — 1970 through 1981 — falls squarely within the era when those policies were written without effective pollution exclusions. The documented remediation costs here — groundwater monitoring, site investigation, and hazardous waste management of contaminated soil and water — are expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window 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.