Virtualization
CA and VMware both suing insurance giant
Broadcom has accused Allstate Insurance of dodging a software license audit that the insurer claims only happened after it decided to stop using VMware and CA software.Those two Broadcom business units – CA and VMware – have brought copyright infringement lawsuits against Allstate.The CA suit, filed in May 2025, alleges that the insurer breached contracts after the sale of its Employer Voluntary Benefits business to an outfit called StanCorp. The VMware suit, filed in December 2025, alleges that Allstate didn’t comply with contract terms that required it to participate in license audits.
Software license audits are not unusual. Vendors routinely include the right to conduct audits in their contracts, and those rights can extend beyond the term of a license so that software companies can be paid for all use of code under a time-limited contract. Some vendors, however, are known to audit more often and more vigorously than others, or to use audits to gain leverage during license renewal negotiations.
Allstate claims Broadcom’s decision to audit it was not entirely reasonable.“This case is about VMware’s decision to initiate a haphazard ‘audit’ of Allstate, once it was aware that Allstate did not intend to renew its contracts with VMware or its sister company, CA,” the company stated in a June 12 filing.That accusation came after months of conflict.An Allstate filing in the CA matter claims that Broadcom launched four audits, covering “Tanzu,” “VMWare,” “Agile Operations” and “Mainframe.” Broadcom advised of its intent to audit around April 2025.Broadcom alleges Allstate didn’t co-operate with the audits. “Throughout August and September 2025, VMware sent weekly follow‑ups. Allstate continued to stonewall and withheld the requested materials,” according to VMware’s claim.
