Opinion ID: 2616917
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Odessa house was a temporary residence under the stipulated facts.

Text: As to the term temporary residence, we note that, according to the stipulated facts, Plaintiff Raymond Chalmers was temporarily at residence being constructed at Odessa, Oregon in June 1969, and thereafter, due to unemployment. We also note that, according to the stipulated facts, when the policy was renewed on July 31, 1969, the insurance agent indicated orally that the policy covered the `contents' at the Odessa residence. Assuming that the word temporary is to be given the meaning contended by defendant, we cannot believe that a house which was occupied temporarily    due to unemployment in June 1969 and thereafter, as stipulated by the parties, became a permanent residence because it was still occupied by Mr. Chalmers in December, presumably still due to unemployment. On the contrary, we cannot presume, at least in the absence of other facts, that the status of unemployment was a permanent, rather than a temporary status. It follows, in our opinion, that since the Odessa house was stipulated to have been occupied temporarily by Mr. Chalmers in June 1969 and thereafter, due to unemployment, and in the absence of other facts, the continued occupancy of the house by him in December must still be considered to have been temporary. In any event, and as previously stated, we hold that the term temporary residence is ambiguous, with the result that all reasonable doubts as to its intended meaning must be resolved against the insurance company and in favor of extending coverage to the insured, if it is possible to do so by a fair and reasonable interpretation of that term, and that this is a fair and reasonable interpretation of the term temporary under the facts of this case. It may be possible, depending upon the facts, for members of a family to have more than one permanent residence at the same time. [3] Under the stipulated facts, however, this is not such a case.