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,

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

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents is out amid a controversial $1.9 million payout they approved for the university's outgoing president.

The Attorney General is asking a court to act after WNMU paid outgoing president Joseph Shepard a $1.9 million severance payment negotiated, he says, in violation of state laws.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed a court motion to block a $1.9 million severance payment to former WNMU President Joseph Shepard. The motion claims the payment is a misuse of public funds and violates the fiduciary duties of the Board of Regents.

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.