A top Democratic contender in the Michigan governors race fought to sell off more than 100 animals at a shuttered pharmaceutical testing facility he owned, court records show, contradicting his account of events that culminated in the neglected animals rescue.

Businessman Shri Thanedar has been weathering accusations of animal neglect after HuffPost reported Wednesday that animal welfare groups had to rescue over 170 dogs and monkeys months after the Oxford, New Jersey, facility shut down in 2010.

On Thursday, the candidate tried to pin the animals neglect on Bank of America, which repossessed the property in April of that year. He said the bank sought to sell the animals against his advice.

But court records show that the court-appointed receiver, charged with managing the disputed property, actually tried to place the animals in sanctuaries against Thanedars wishes.

In fact, it was Thanedars attorneys who unsuccessfully sought to have the animals assessed and sold.

The lawyers were just using any leverage to keep the bank to do its job, Thanedar told HuffPost on Saturday. He said the animals were not abandoned.

The candidate owned the lab, AniClin Preclinical Services, through its parent company Azopharma until it was shuttered in April 2010.

In July of that year, two animal welfare groups rescued 118 testing beagles stranded in the laboratory. Prior to the organizations intervention, the animals caregivers climbed the fences of the shuttered facility to provide the dogs with food and water, according to a USA Today report at the time.

Another animal welfare group intervened later that month to find homes for 55 long-tailed macaque monkeys stuck there. The group reportedly learned about the situation thanks to a tip from a caregiver.