Five Retired Umpires Seek Over $2 Million From MLB Pension Plan
The lawsuit alleges that Joe West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover, and Jerry Layne were underpaid for their service.
By Scott Marshall ·
Five former Major League Baseball umpires have filed a lawsuit against their retirement plan, arguing that they are owed more than $2 million in benefits.
Joe West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover, and Jerry Layne submitted the complaint to federal court in New York on September 29. The group alleges that their retirement funds were calculated incorrectly. They claim they are entitled to additional money under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
Paul B. Holmes, the attorney representing the five men, stated that the total amount owed exceeds $2 million. Holmes noted that some calculation disputes were debatable, but other issues showed the umpires were clearly shorted. He said the players were willing to accept less than the full amount to avoid litigation, but the offers from Major League Baseball were not competitive.
West described a direct exchange with Steven Gonzalez, the MLB senior vice president and chief employment counsel. West said Gonzalez told him, “If you don’t like the number, sue us.” West added, “Does Steve Gonzalez not know my history with dealing with lawsuits?” West previously won a defamation suit against Paul LoDuca in 2021, receiving $500,000 in damages.
The five men retired at different times. West and Davis stopped working after the 2021 season. Hallion retired after 2022, while Layne and Vanover ended their careers at the close of 2024. West worked a record 5,460 regular-season games between 1976 and 2021. The suit names the American Leagues and National Leagues of Professional Baseball Clubs Retirement Income Plan for Umpires and its retirement committee as defendants.
The Major League Baseball Umpires Association is not a party to the case. Holmes explained that the union chose to stay out of the dispute because it is not a large organization and does not specialize in pension issues. MLB declined to comment on the matter, citing the pending lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams has set a pretrial conference for December 11. The lawsuit was.
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