Five umpires sue MLB over alleged pension underpayments

Five retired Major League Baseball umpires—Joe West, Gerry Davis, Tom Hallion, Larry Vanover and Jerry Layne—have sued the league’s umpires’ retirement plan and its committee, alleging their benefits were miscalculated and they were underpaid. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York, claims MLB misapplied a complex pension formula, including by failing to provide appropriate increases for umpires who began receiving benefits after age 62. Their attorney says at least two dozen retirees may have been affected; reports put the five plaintiffs’ potential losses at about $2 million, although one report cites an estimate exceeding $5 million. The umpires say they pursued administrative appeals before filing suit, after which MLB declined to offer a settlement they considered adequate. MLB has declined to comment on the active litigation.