This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1962. 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 chlorinated solvent releases that define this site originated entirely within the eighteen years the Plantation Building operated as a dry cleaner — 1962 through 1980 — well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. PCE and TCE contamination from those operations has spread to neighboring parcels and required more than fifteen years of documented investigation and active cleanup. Historical CGL carriers who insured the dry cleaning operation during that pre-1986 window may be obligated both to recover remediation expenditures already incurred and to fund the additional work Ecology has determined is still needed.

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.