Former MLB umpire Joe West and four other retired umpires have filed a lawsuit against their pension plan, alleging they have been underpaid by more than $2 million.
The suit, filed in late September in federal court in New York, names the American Leagues and National Leagues of Professional Baseball Clubs Retirement Income Plan for Umpires and its retirement committee as defendants. The plaintiffs — West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover, and Jerry Layne — claim their benefits were not calculated correctly.
West, 74, retired in 2021 after umpiring a record 5,460 games over a career that began in 1976. Known as "Cowboy Joe," he was a colorful and sometimes controversial figure in the sport. In 2021, West won more than $500,000 in a defamation suit against former MLB player Paul Lo Duca.
According to the Associated Press, West said that when he raised the issue with the retirement committee, he was offered a relatively small sum. He quoted MLB senior vice president and chief employment counsel Steven Gonzalez as saying: "If you don't like the number, sue us." West responded by referencing his history with lawsuits.
Davis also retired after the 2021 season, while Hallion umpired through 2022 and Layne and Vanover stepped away after the 2024 season. The five sued as individuals and did not involve the umpires' union, their lawyer Paul B. Holmes said. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Dec. 11.
