Federal court orders Baltimore County to pay back workers who overpaid for pensions

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Baltimore County must pay back employees who were forced to overpay into the county’s pension system for years.

A lower court will determine how much the county would have to reimburse older workers who, until 2007, were charged more for pension contributions than younger workers. The county has previously estimated it could be on the hook for up to $19 million.

County officials haven’t decided whether they’ll appeal this latest ruling in a long-running lawsuit over the pension system. It’s unclear how long it would take for the U.S. District Court to figure out payments to an undetermined number of current and former county workers.

“The county executive has asked the county attorney to review the court’s decision,” Ellen Kobler, a spokeswoman for County Executive Don Mohler, said in a statement. “Once that review is complete, the county will decide what to do next.”

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-pension-payments-20180919-story.html