This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility predating 1986. 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.

Both dry-cleaning operations used PCE and TCE at a property whose commercial history predates 1986, placing the contamination squarely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Magic Cleaners, in particular, was operating prior to 1986 and its release was active during that policy window. The remediation record here — UST removal, large-scale groundwater extraction, multi-system vapor treatment, soil excavation, and recorded restrictive covenants — documents substantial cleanup expenditures attributable to those pre-1986 operations, and historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during that window may be obligated to fund both past costs and ongoing remediation.

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.