The University of Kansas is seeking dismissal of a lawsuit by a former professor who claims its School of Medicine retaliated for his assertion that the university misappropriated federal research grants.

The university and the Kansas Board of Regents argued in court filings Wednesday that they are protected from lawsuit under sovereign immunity. The university also contended that professor Curtis Klaassen failed to exhaust administrative remedies before suing.

KU’s School of Medicine is seeking to be dismissed because it’s not a separate legal entity.

Klaassen alleges in a lawsuit filed last year that the school stripped him of his position as principal investigator on research projects. He also contends KUMC fired most of his research assistants and killed important genetically modified laboratory mice used for research.