The ousted president of South Carolina State University, Andrew Hugine Jr., has sued the university and members of its Board of Trustees for allegedly defaming and conspiring against him, The State, a newspaper in Columbia, S.C., reported today.

In the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday in a local court, Mr. Hugine also asserts that the university breached his employment contract. He is seeking up to $1-million in damages from the university and up to $2-million from trustees.

Mr. Hugine, the university’s president since 2003, was in the second year of a five-year contract when he was fired in December. Trustees based his dismissal on a negative performance review, which cited poor fund raising and student retention. Three South Carolina lawmakers criticized his ouster and accused the board of micromanagement.

The lawsuit says trustees “met, schemed, planned, and conspired” to create the false job review, which led to Mr. Hugine’s termination, according to The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg, S.C.

Charles Boykin, a lawyer representing the university, told newspapers on Wednesday that university officials had not yet seen the suit. “The university and the Board of Trustees acknowledge that individuals in today’s society tend to sue for anything,” he said in a written statement. “It is puzzling that Dr. Hugine is willing to join the litigation crowd.” —Paul Fain