Sports · Baseball · 10 hrs ago
Five retired MLB umpires sue over pension benefits
Five retired MLB umpires sued their pension plan in federal court in New York, saying they are owed additional retirement benefits.
The group includes Joe West and four former colleagues: Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover and Jerry Layne.
They say their benefits were not calculated correctly under a federal law governing employee retirement plans.
Their lawyer says the five are owed more than $2 million.
The umpires filed as individuals, and their union is not part of the case.
MLB declined to comment because the lawsuit is pending; the lawyer says settlement offers were not competitive.
A pretrial conference is set for Dec.
11 before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams.
Five retired Major League Baseball umpires have sued their retirement plan and its retirement committee, alleging their pension benefits were calculated incorrectly.
Joe West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover and Jerry Layne filed the lawsuit in federal court in New York on Sept. 29.
Their lawyer said the five are owed more than $2 million.
The umpires claim they are entitled to additional benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
MLB declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit.
- Who
- Retired umpires Joe West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover and Jerry Layne.
- What
- They sued their retirement plan and its retirement committee, alleging they were underpaid pension benefits.
- When
- The lawsuit was filed on Sept. 29; the report was published Nov. 5, 2026.
- Where
- Federal court in New York.
- Why
- They claim their benefits were calculated incorrectly and that they are owed additional money under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
West and Davis retired.
Hallion retired.
The five umpires filed their lawsuit in federal court in New York.
Layne and Vanover retired.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams scheduled a pretrial conference.
- Umpires suing
- Joe West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover and Jerry Layne
- Amount claimed
- More than $2 million
- Filing date
- Sept. 29
- Court location
- Federal court in New York
- Law cited
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
3 sources
What people are saying
If you don't like the number, sue us.
Does Steve Gonzalez not know my history with dealing with lawsuits?
And so we went through the process and we went through settlement talks.