MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man who was freed last year after nearly 25 years in prison for the death of his wife is suing a former medical examiner and other authorities, accusing them of fabricating and withholding evidence, leading to a wrongful conviction.

Thomas Rhodes, 64, filed suit in federal court, naming former Ramsey County Medical Examiner Michael McGee and others, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Wednesday. McGee’s conduct has previously caused several convictions and sentences to be tossed out in the past two decades.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

Rhodes was convicted of first- and second-degree murder in his wife’s death, which occurred during a boat ride on Green Lake in Spicer in 1996. He was sentenced to life in prison. Last year, he became the first person freed from prison through Minnesota’s new conviction review unit.

The lawsuit alleges that McGee, along with now-deceased Kandiyohi County Attorney Boyd Beccue and a Hennepin County investigator, fabricated unsupported conclusions and provided false testimony to describe Jane Rhodes’ death as a premeditated homicide.

“I have gained my freedom,” Rhodes said in a statement Tuesday. “I now look forward to justice.”

Jane Rhodes fell overboard in July 1996 while on a late-evening boat ride with her husband. The lawsuit said neither person was wearing a life jacket, and Jane Rhodes fell after losing her balance while leaning forward. Rhodes couldn’t locate his wife in the dark waters.