Nissan Motors filed a lawsuit in Japan on Wednesday seeking $90 million from its former chairman Carlos Ghosn, who fled the country before his trial on charges of financial wrongdoing.

The automaker says 10 billion yen, or $90 million, would cover the monetary damages it says Mr. Ghosn inflicted on the company through misconduct and fraud.

Nissan said it expected that amount to increase as it sought to recover the fines paid to the Japanese Financial Services Agency and other penalties linked to Mr. Ghosn’s alleged misconduct.

Mr. Ghosn has denied any wrongdoing. In an emailed statement, a spokesman said, “Nissan’s maneuvers continue,” noting that the lawsuit was made public one day before the automaker was scheduled to release its earnings report.