This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1970. 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.

PCE contamination at this site traces directly to dry cleaning operations that were in continuous use from at least 1970 — more than fifteen years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Each successive operator, from Normandy VLG Clean through Bel Custom Cleaners, had carriers writing CGL coverage during years when PCE was being released into the subsurface. The documented remediation costs — soil and sediment removal, infrastructure decommissioning, years of multi-media monitoring, institutional controls, and the planned injection program — represent expenditures those historical carriers may be obligated both to recover 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.