Keller v. Mountlake Terrace Code Enforcement

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SEATTLE

RAYMOND J. KELLER, et al., CASE NO. C24-2172JLR Plaintiffs, ORDER v. MOUNTLAKE TERRACE CODE ENFORCEMENT, et al., Defendants. Before the court are Plaintiffs’ motions for entry of default (Def. Mot. (Dkt. # 33)) and for default judgment (Def. J. Mot. (Dkt. # 34)). Plaintiffs filed their motions on June 9, 2025. (See Dkt.) Later that same day, before the Clerk entered default, Defendants filed answers to Plaintiffs’ amended complaint. (See Mountlake Terrace Answer (Dkt. # 35); Evans Answer (Dkt. # 36).) In light of the Ninth Circuit’s strong policy favoring the resolution of cases on the merits, see Eitel v. McCool, 782 F.2d 1470, 1472 (9th Cir. 1986), the court accepts Defendants’ late-filed answers and DENIES Plaintiffs’ motions for entry of default (Dkt. # 33) and for default judgment (Dkt. # 34).

DATED this 10th day of June, 2025. A United States District Judge