Group of retired MLB umpires, including Joe West, file lawsuit alleging they are owed more than $2 million

The five umpires claim their benefits were not calculated correctly and are owed additional money

Nov 6, 2026 at 10:55 am ET • 1 min read

Former MLB umpire Joe West is part of a group of five retired umpires who are suing their pension plan and alleging they have been underpaid by the plan, the Associated Press reports. West, along with Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover, and Jerry Layne, filed the suit in late September in federal court in New York. 

The suit alleges that the five umpires have been underpaid by the pension plan by more than $2 million. According to the AP, the suit "was filed against the American Leagues and National Leagues of Professional Baseball Clubs Retirement Income Plan for Umpires and that entity's retirement committee." The five umpires claim their benefits were not calculated correctly and therefore should receive additional money. 

West, 74, retired from umpiring in MLB in 2021 after umpiring more than 5,000 games at the highest level starting in 1976. The man they called "Cowboy Joe" umpired a record 5,460 games in all, was known as a colorful figure in the sport and sometimes even a source of controversy. 

In 2021, West won more than $500,000 in damages as the result of a defamation suit against former MLB player Paul Lo Duca after Lo Duca alleged during a podcast that West would "open up the strike zone" for reliever Billy Wagner in exchange for driving one of Wagner's vintage cars. 

West referenced his "history with lawsuits" on Thursday. From the AP:

West said that when he brought up the issue to the retirement committee, he was offered a relatively small sum. West said MLB senior vice president and chief employment counsel Steven Gonzalez told him: "If you don't like the number, sue us."

"Does Steve Gonzalez not know my history with dealing with lawsuits?" West said.

Like West, Davis also retired after the 2021 season while Hallion umpired through the 2022 season and Layne and Vanover stepped away after the 2024 campaign. The five sued as individuals and did not involve the umpires' union, their lawyer, Paul B. Holmes, said, per the AP.