This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1955. 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.

Chlorinated solvent contamination at this site — tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) among them — traces directly to dry cleaning operations that began in 1955, more than three decades before occurrence-based CGL policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims. The documented remediation expenditures — large-scale soil excavation, tank and vessel removals, and years of groundwater monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who issued policies during the 1955–1973 operational window may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues.

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.