ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s top prosecutor is suing Western New Mexico University’s regents and outgoing president to try to undo a lucrative severance package that included a nearly $2 million payout approved in the wake of a scathing report that detailed wasteful spending and lax financial oversight at the school.

Raúl Torrez also filed a complaint seeking to end Joseph Shepard's separation agreement, which the lawsuit calls an "unconscionable contract."

Western New Mexico University (WNMU) has sparked controversy after paying outgoing president Joseph Shepard a $1.9 million buyout despite legal efforts by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez to block it.

The New Mexico Attorney General is taking aim at Western New Mexico University and sending the message that rewarding the former president’s questionable behavior, will not be tolerated. On Thursday,