Massachusetts’ top court on Monday shot down a Harvard professor’s bid to force the university to cover his legal defense fees after he was convicted recently of concealing ties to a Chinese talent recruitment program.

Charles Lieber, 62, sued the school to cover his legal expenses against allegations he misled federal agencies about being involved in a China’s Thousand Talents Plan while his research group at Harvard received more than $15 million in grant funding from the U.S. government. The grants require the disclosure of financial support from foreign governments or foreign entities.