This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1968. 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.

Dry cleaning operations using PCE began at this location in 1968 — nearly two decades before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies adopted effective pollution exclusions in 1986. The slow, continuing release of PCE and its chlorinated degradation products into soil and groundwater is precisely the type of gradual pollution event those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. The documented and anticipated remediation costs here — bioremediation system installation, vapor extraction, UST removal, asbestos abatement, and decades of groundwater monitoring — represent expenditures that historical CGL carriers whose policies were in force during the 1968–1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.