This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1930. 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 and dyeing operations at this property began in the 1930s — more than five decades before the 1986 cutoff after which occurrence-based CGL policies routinely excluded pollution claims. The PCE contamination associated with those decades of commercial dry cleaning is precisely the type of slow, diffuse release that pre-1986 policies were written to cover. The investigation and remediation costs the property owner now faces — site characterization, cleanup design, and the remediation work still ahead — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in effect when the contamination first occurred.

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.