This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1935. 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 at this property began in 1935 — more than five decades before 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies effectively stopped covering pollution claims. Carriers who issued CGL policies to Shelton Laundry & Cleaners during that half-century of pre-1986 operations had no effective pollution exclusion and may remain obligated under those historical policies. The documented remediation costs here — a 2005 bioremediation treatment program and over two decades of groundwater monitoring — represent both expenditures to recover and ongoing obligations that pre-1986 insurers may be required to fund.

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.