SCHENECTADY — A descendant of a family that bequeathed $2.3 million to Ellis Hospital filed a federal lawsuit today claiming the funds were misspent.

Norma Cummings Rettek filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Albany. Cummings Rettek is the niece of John Belanger, who left 75 percent of his estate to the hospital upon his death in 1968. Belanger was a General Electric employee and served on the hospital’s board of trustees from 1953 to 1962.

The money was left with the stipulation that it be used for the hospital’s School of Nursing, an effort to honor Belanger’s younger sister, Lurline Belanger Cummings, who had attended a nursing training school in Maine. If the school ceased operation, the money was to go to an extended care unit or a nursing home association.

Belanger’s wife, Anna Nordgren Belanger, died the following year and also left 75 percent of her estate to the hospital. The combined value of the bequests was more than $2 million.

The lawsuit alleges that the fund was not used for improvements at the nursing school. It points out that the original building on the main campus that housed the nursing school was demolished to construct a parking lot. Since then, the school has operated out of six different facilities, with its current home at 1482 Erie Blvd.

The lawsuit also says that in 2004, Mark C. Schoell, vice president of financial services, confirmed in writing that the hospital had used the “Belanger Legacy” for projects not related to the School of Nursing.

“Meanwhile, in the 40 years since the Belangers’ death, the School of Nursing facilities have deteriorated, not improved,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleges that hospital officials failed to properly invest the funds. Had the money been properly invested, the fund could have grown to $15 million, the lawsuit alleges.

Hospital officials did not immediately respond to calls.