Opinion ID: 7910
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Resident of [the insureds'] Household

Text: 23 We have now determined that neither resident nor household is a legal term of art or a term defined in the Policy and that both words are ambiguous under the circumstances of the instant case. As both resident and household are ambiguous, it follows that the key phrase, resident of [the insureds'] household is ambiguous and thus a question of fact. 24 Moreover, as the ultimate outcome of this litigation turns on the meaning ascribed to that key phrase, the parties' intended meaning is material. Accordingly, the district court erred in not allowing the jury to determine (1) the parties' intended meaning of household, resident, and resident of [the insureds'] household; and (2) whether, under the facts and circumstances of this case, the Hallorans--together with Cicciarella--constituted a household, given that the Hallorans are present in the Brooklyn Dwelling intermittently for a total of some 60 days per year, and that the Hallorans apparently do constitute a household (of which Cicciarella clearly is not a member or resident) in the Houston Dwelling. III