This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1926. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property operated as Troy Cleaners, a laundry and dry cleaning facility in Longview, from 1926 through 1995 — nearly seven decades of continuous operation. The site housed seven underground storage tanks, five of which were excavated and removed in 1989, with two additional tanks closed in place. A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment identified petroleum hydrocarbons in soil and groundwater, as well as air-phase hydrocarbons and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in soil vapor; the site remains in the Awaiting Cleanup stage under Standard Cleanup. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 site began in 1926 and ran continuously for six decades before 1986, the year occurrence-based CGL policies ceased reliably covering pollution liability. The PCE contamination found in soil vapor — and petroleum hydrocarbons in soil and groundwater from the long-operating underground storage tanks — are precisely the slow-release contaminants those pre-1986 policies were designed to cover. With cleanup costs not yet incurred but a confirmed contamination profile on record, historical carriers whose policies were in force during the decades of pre-1986 operation may be obligated to fund the remediation 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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
