A lawsuit filed in federal court claims that more than 36,000 current and former University of Rochester employees participating in the university's retirement program have been charged excessive fees over the past six years.

The lawsuit was filed by the Pittsburgh law firm of Carlson Lynch Sweet Kilpela and Carpenter LLP last week.

According to court documents, the lawsuit claims that participants have paid an estimated $72 million dollars in record-keeping, distribution and mortality risk fees over the past six years.

The suit claims that the lead plaintiff, Christopher D'Amore, has been paying more than $500 dollars per year to TIAA in service fees. His lawyers say a reasonable fee for those services should approximately $50 dollars per year.

The lawsuit accuses the university of breaching its duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by allowing TIAA, the company that handles the administrative services, to charge excessive fees.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, a University of Rochester spokesperson said the plaintiffs' lawyers have gotten many of the facts wrong, adding "The fee paid to TIAA for its record-keeping and administrative services by the University’s retirement plan is actually below the $50 per-participant fee that the complaint alleges is reasonable. Similarly, the allegations reporting the total amount paid to TIAA and the amount paid by Mr. D’Amore for these services are wrong."