This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1961. 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 at this property began in a building constructed in 1961, placing the contamination source more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still lacked effective pollution exclusions. PCE and TCE contamination of the type confirmed here is the signature of slow, chronic releases from dry cleaning equipment — precisely the ongoing-release pattern those pre-1986 policies were written to address. The full cost of remediation at this site lies ahead, and historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during the decades of dry-cleaning operations that produced this contamination may be obligated to fund it.

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.