Montez

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

FARMERS DIRECT PROPERTY No. 23-3320

AND CASUALTY INSURANCE

D.C. No. COMPANY, formerly known as 2:21-cv-08807- Metropolitan Direct Property and

RGK-JEM

Casualty Insurance Company,

OPINION

Plaintiff - Appellant, v.

DENNIS PEREZ,

Defendant,

VICTOR MONTEZ; LISA

MONTEZ,

Intervenor-Defendants - Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California R. Gary Klausner, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted November 7, 2024 Pasadena, California

Filed March 6, 2025 FARMERS DIRECT PROP. & CAS. INS. CO. V. MONTEZ

Before: Consuelo M. Callahan, Evan J. Wallach, * and Ana de Alba, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Wallach

SUMMARY **

Diversity Jurisdiction/Amount in Controversy

The panel reversed the district court’s order granting Victor and Lisa Montez’s motion to set aside and vacate a default judgment entered against Dennis Perez in a declaratory judgment action brought by Farmers Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Company (“Farmers Direct”) against Perez relating to its obligations under an auto insurance policy to defend and…