BATON ROUGE - LSU legal documents revealed Thursday the university changed its contract with former football defensive coordinator John Chavis after he signed.

LSU is suing Chavis for breach of contract when he left to coach at Texas A&M earlier this year. Chavis' lawyer Jill Craft said the documents show the university doesn't have a case.

"You can't sue someone for breach of contract if there's no contract," she said. "If they didn't sign the same deal, which they clearly didn't, then there's no deal."

The documents read that in 2012 LSU printed a different version of Chavis' contract to reflect a change in university presidents. The new version had slightly different wording. Lawyers for LSU wrote that it happened in error.

The two parties met in a Baton Rouge courtroom Thursday. The university is demanding $400,000 from Chavis for breach of contract.

Lawyers for LSU argue the coach was actively seeking a job at Texas A&M while still at LSU in violation of his contract. State Court Judge Tim Kelley ordered Chavis to give the unversity some of his phone records. 

Chavis is counter-suing for defamation because an unnamed person at LSU allegedly said the coach "defected" when he changed jobs. "He changed jobs but that doesn't mean you label him a traitor or a rat," said Craft.

Chavis was at the court house but did not comment. Lawyers for LSU also did not speak to reporters.

Judge Kelley encouraged both sides to drop their suits and settle the matter in private.