Umpire wins $500,000 in defamation lawsuit against former catcher

Major league umpire Joe West was awarded $500,000 in damages plus interest dating to July 8 in a defamation suit against former All-star catcher Paul Lo Duca. New York Supreme Court Justice John J. Kelley issued his decision Monday in a lawsuit West filed in October 2019 against Lo Duca and The Action Network. The network was dismissed from the suit last July, when Kelley granted a motion by West for a default judgment against Lo Duca.

West contended that Lo Duca said during a 2019 podcast on The Action Network that he had been ejected 15 times during his major league career and eight or nine had been by West.

West’s suit claimed Lo Duca said during the podcast that when the player was catching Billy Wagner during a Mets game against Philadelphia in 2006 or 2007, West called three straight batters out on strikes. The umpire adds that Lo Duca claimed Wagner told him the reason he got the calls was the pitcher had allowed West to drive his 1957 Chevy.

West’s suit said Lo Duca was ejected eight times in his career and only once by West. The umpire denied any favoritism and said Wagner did not pitch in the only Mets-phillies game that West worked behind the plate in 2006-07.

“The court credits the plaintiff ’s testimony that one’s integrity and character are primary measures that are applied to the assessment of an umpire’s or player’s quality and, thus, the consideration that he will be given for election to, and induction into, the Hall of Fame,” Kelley wrote.

“He also expressed concern that it would be difficult to completely repair his reputation.”

The 66-year-old West began the season with 5,345 games umpired, on track to break Bill Klem’s career record of 5,370 later this year.