The Nevada Board of Regents has upheld the dismissal of a researcher at the University of Nevada at Reno who says he was fired for complaining to federal officials about animal abuse at the institution, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.

Hussein S. Hussein, an associate professor in the department of animal biotechnology, told the paper that the regents’ unanimous decision, made at a hearing that he didn’t attend, was “an absolute outrage.”

Mr. Hussein was dismissed from the institution followed a disciplinary hearing earlier this year to examine allegations that he had plagiarized the work of his graduate students and withheld some donated research money that should have gone to the university to cover indirect costs. The hearing officer found no proof that Mr. Hussein had plagiarized students’ work, and also determined that, although Mr. Hussein had indeed kept money from the university, he didn’t deserve to be fired.

Mr. Hussein has a lawsuit pending against the Board of Regents. That, he says, creates a conflict of interest that should have prevented the board from hearing the appeal of his dismissal. —Audrey Williams June