Does the Defendant have the burden to prove that the Local Controversy exception applies?

Defendants spend much of their brief arguing that Plaintiffs have the burden to show that the local controversy exception applies. Although it is well-established that a plaintiff seeking remand bears the burden to prove that the local controversy exception applies (see, e.g., Mondragon v. Capital One Auto Fin., 736 F.3d 880, 886 (9th Cir. 2013)), it is unclear who bears the burden when the applicability of the local controversy exception is first

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