Former MLB umpire Joe West is part of a group of five retired umpires who have filed a federal lawsuit in New York alleging their pension plan underpaid them by more than $2 million. The suit, reported by the Associated Press, was filed in late September against the American Leagues and National Leagues of Professional Baseball Clubs Retirement Income Plan for Umpires and its retirement committee.
Alongside West, the plaintiffs include Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover, and Jerry Layne. The five umpires claim their retirement benefits were not calculated correctly and are seeking additional compensation. They sued as individuals and did not involve the umpires' union, according to their lawyer, Paul B. Holmes.
West, 74, retired in 2021 after a record 5,460 games umpired at the major league level beginning 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 AP, West said that when he raised the pension 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 telling him: "If you don't like the number, sue us." West responded: "Does Steve Gonzalez not know my history with dealing with lawsuits?"
Davis also retired after the 2021 season, Hallion umpired through 2022, and Layne and Vanover stepped away after the 2024 campaign. A pretrial conference in the case is scheduled for December 11.
