This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1958. 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.

The chlorinated solvent contamination at this property traces directly to dry cleaning operations conducted more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. PCE and TCE releases from a dry cleaner active in the late 1950s and early 1960s are precisely the type of slow, ongoing contamination those pre-1986 policies were written to address. As the Voluntary Cleanup Program investigation matures toward active remediation, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during Ramona's Cleaners' operational window may be obligated to fund the cleanup costs that lie ahead.

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.