Former MLB scouts sued the league, its 30 teams and commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday, alleging that they lost their jobs because of age discrimination.
The lawsuit was filed in a US District Court in Denver by a group of 17 scouts formerly employed by MLB. Their ages range from 55 to 71, and they all worked as scouts for at least 24 years, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Per the Associated Press, the lawsuit cites the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 in addition to laws in 11 different states and New York City. The lawsuit states that MLB and its teams “have acted to prevent the reemployment of older scouts or refused the reemployment of older scouts.”
MLB declined comment on pending litigation, but told AP in a statement that it looks “forward to refuting these claims in court.”
The lawsuit seeks class action status with the lead plaintiff as former Chicago Cubs scout James S. Benedict. He lost his job in 2020. Per the lawsuit, MLB used the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of analytics in player evaluation as reasons to terminate older scouts.
Rick Ingalls worked as a scout for 37 years with the Los Angeles Angels and Cincinnati Reds before being dismissed by the Reds in 2018. He helped organize the plaintiffs.
“We believe the commissioner and the owners colluded to eliminate veteran personnel because of salaries,” Ingalls told the Times.
The suit alleges that MLB eliminated the practice of league notifications that a veteran scout was available for hire in 2015, the same year Manfred took over as commissioner. The suit also alleges that a “blacklist” was created to designate older scouts not to be hired.
Chris Smith, 64, was dismissed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, concluding a 30-year career as a scout.
“We all understand that there are changes when there is a regime change, but I’ve been in the business for 40 years, and I’ve never seen anything close to this,” Smith told the Times. … “The term they used was a ‘natural reduction in workforce.’
“This was not a natural reduction in workforce. This was, ‘You’re all gone.'”