This property has a documented history as a landfill going back to 1978. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
The Grice Landfill operated in Tacoma from 1978, when the City of Tacoma granted the Grice family permission to run the landfill for five years, with operations continuing for approximately a decade through roughly 1988. The site experienced multiple fires during and after its operational period, impacting air quality; city staff ultimately smothered a multi-year landfill fire and regraded the property. Response actions to date have included removal of contamination through an independent action and the installation of methane gas probes, which have been monitored annually over several years. The landfill's contents were never formally documented, and subsurface contamination remains suspected. 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.
The Grice Landfill operated from 1978 through approximately 1988 — a period that spans the years when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies had no effective pollution exclusion and were standard across commercial and municipal operations. The contamination profile here — methane generation, repeated fires, air quality impacts, and suspected subsurface releases — reflects the gradual, ongoing release pattern that pre-1986 CGL policies were designed to cover. Historical carriers who issued policies to the Grice family or associated operators during the 1978–1986 window may bear obligations toward the investigation and remediation costs that remain ahead for this site.
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
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
