This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1963. 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.

The contamination here traces to a PCE storage tank in operation no later than 1969 — more than fifteen years before 1986 — and to Eastern Supply's ownership of this property during the 1963–1967 period. Insurance carriers who issued CGL policies to Eastern Supply or to successive property owners during that pre-1986 window may bear exposure for remediation costs that have now stretched across three decades, from the 1996–1997 TPH consolidation through the 2021 excavation and ongoing groundwater monitoring. The cross-roadway migration of PCE from an off-site source further complicates the remediation picture and underscores the value of identifying every historical carrier with a nexus to this contamination event.

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.