This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1963. 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.

Dry cleaning operations using PCE at this property began in 1963, more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims. The contamination profile here — chlorinated solvents slowly migrating through soil and groundwater over nearly four decades of operation — is precisely the type of gradual release that pre-1986 CGL policies were written to address. The cleanup costs now facing this property — remedial investigation, design, and active remediation — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force during the years the dry cleaner was actively operating.

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.