(Bloomberg) -- Major League Baseball says its lobbying efforts to exempt ball players from federal wage laws should be off limits at an upcoming trial over claims by minor leaguers about being paid “poverty” wages.
The players, meanwhile, are urging a judge to bar MLB from arguing that they chose to sacrifice a better-paying line of work because they are “chasing a dream” to some day play in the majors.
The two sides are asking a judge to set evidence ground rules as they prepare to face off at a June trial in San Francisco federal court with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.
Originally filed in 2014, the class-action case includes claims against the MLB and 22 major league ballclubs over alleged violations of state and federal wage laws.
The minor leaguers last month won rulings recognizing that they are employees and allowing the bulk of their claims to proceed. A judge also concluded MLB owes $1.9 million to minor league players for violating California's wage statement requirements. Wage violation claims in eight other states are pending.
Read More: MLB Ordered to Pay $1.9 Million to Minor Leaguers in Wage Suit
U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero trimmed the players' federal wage claims for conduct occurring after the Save America's Pastime Act took effect in March 2018. The measure amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to exempt baseball players from the statute's minimum wage and overtime requirements.
MLB argued in a filing Monday that it would be unfair to allow any mention at the jury trial about its efforts to push lawmakers for that exemption, saying it's “irrelevant” to the case.
The league also asked the judge not to allow minor league players to present evidence that they suffer poor living conditions.
“A minor league player's claim for wages in this action is the same whether he is independently wealthy or has no other source of income,” MLB said in a filing.
For their part, the players argued that their “future aspirations” are not fair game at the trial.
“The fact that minor league players dreamed of being promoted to the major leagues does not excuse defendants from their obligation to pay the minimum and overtime wages mandated by law,” according to the players' filing.
A lawyer representing the players declined to comment. An attorney representing MLB didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case is Senne v. Office of Commissioner of Baseball, 14-cv-00608, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).
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