Umpires Seek Over $2 Million
Five retired officials filed suit in New York federal court, claiming their retirement benefits were underpaid by Major League Baseball's pension plan.
By Madison Darwish ·
Five retired Major League Baseball umpires are seeking more than $2 million in unpaid retirement benefits. The group, which includes former crew chief Joe West, alleges that the MLB retirement plan failed to calculate their payouts correctly.
The lawsuit was filed on Sept. 29 in federal court in New York. It names the American Leagues and National Leagues of Professional Baseball Clubs Retirement Income Plan for Umpires and its retirement committee as defendants. West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover, and Jerry Layne are the plaintiffs. They retired between 2021 and 2024, with West and Davis ending their careers after the 2021 season and Hallion, Layne, and Vanover following in subsequent years.
Paul B. Holmes, the lawyers' representative, stated on Thursday that the amount owed exceeds $2 million. Holmes said that while some calculations allowed for debate, other issues showed the plan clearly shorted the umpires. He noted that the five men were willing to accept less than the full amount to avoid litigation, but MLB's settlement offers were not competitive.
West described a direct confrontation with Steven Gonzalez, MLB's senior vice president and chief employment counsel. According to West, when he raised the issue, Gonzalez told him, 'If you don't like the number, sue us.' West responded that Gonzalez should have known his history with lawsuits. West previously won a defamation suit against former All-Star catcher Paul LoDuca in 2021, receiving $500,000 in damages.
The Major League Baseball Umpires Association is not a party to the suit. Holmes explained that the union wanted to stay out of the matter because it is not a large organization and lacks pension expertise. The players filed the claim as individuals under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
MLB declined to comment on the lawsuit on Wednesday, citing the pending legal action. The suit was first reported by USA Today. Judge Ronnie Abrams of the U.S. District Court has scheduled a pretrial conference for Dec. 11.
