Former MLB umpire Joe West and four other retired umpires have filed a federal lawsuit in New York alleging their pension plan underpaid them by more than $2 million. The suit, filed in late September, names the American Leagues and National Leagues of Professional Baseball Clubs Retirement Income Plan for Umpires and its retirement committee as defendants.
Alongside West, the plaintiffs include Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover, and Jerry Layne. They claim their benefits were miscalculated and seek additional payments. West, 74, retired in 2021 after a record 5,460 games umpired since 1976. He previously won a $500,000 defamation suit against former player Paul Lo Duca in 2021.
According to the Associated Press, West said the retirement committee offered a relatively small sum when he raised the issue, and that MLB senior vice president and chief employment counsel Steven Gonzalez told him: "If you don't like the number, sue us." West referenced his history with lawsuits in response. The five umpires sued as individuals, not through their union, according to their lawyer Paul B. Holmes. A pretrial conference is scheduled for December 11.
