Hs Services, Inc., a California Corporation v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, an Ohio Corporation

Opinion by Judge TASHIMA; Dissent by Judge BEEZER.

TASHIMA, Circuit Judge:

This is an insurance coverage dispute. Plaintiff HS Services, Inc., formerly known as Cade-Grayson Company (and referred to herein as Cade-Grayson) seeks indemnification for a judgment against it and legal costs incurred in defending against a defamation action which it contends was covered under its commercial general liability (CGL) policy, issued by defendant Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (Nationwide). The district court granted summary judgment to Nationwide on the basis of an exclusion in the policy. We…