Five retired Major League Baseball umpires have filed a federal lawsuit alleging they are owed more than $2 million in retirement benefits. Joe West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover, and Jerry Layne claim their benefits were miscalculated under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Their attorney, Paul B.
Holmes, stated the umpires were willing to settle but found MLB’s offers uncompetitive. West, who worked a record 5,460 regular-season games, recounted being told by MLB’s Steven Gonzalez to sue if he disliked the payout. The suit, filed in New York, names the American and National Leagues’ retirement plan and its committee as defendants.
The Umpires Association is not involved. A pretrial conference is set for Dec. 11.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing