Allstate Insurance Company v. Richard Thacher

MEMORANDUM

Richard and Valerie Thacher (Thachers) and Guadalupe Trujillo (Trujillo) appeal the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Allstate on their counterclaims for breach of contract, bad faith, and punitive damages. Allstate cross-appeals the jury verdict underlying the district court judgment in favor of the Thach-ers and Trujillo and denying Allstate’s claim for declaratory relief. The United States District Court for the Central District of California had diversity jurisdiction over this action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332 . We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 . We affirm both the jury verdict and the summary judgment order.

I. Allstate’s challenge to the three-part jury verdict

A jury verdict in a civil case is reviewed for substantial evidence. George v. City of Long Beach, 973 F.2d 706, 709 (9th Cir.1992). The jury was presented with sufficient “relevant evidence as reasonable minds might accept as adequate to support a conclusion”: (1) that Allstate did not send the notice of non-renewal regarding the Comprehensive Policy to the Thachers, (2) that Allstate denied the Thachers coverage under the Umbrella Policy, and (3) that the…