The former manager of the SC Small Business Development Center is suing his former employer.

Lexington resident Peter Oliver contends the University of South Carolina violated the whistle blower law, defamed his character and caused loss of his professional reputation.

Oliver’s lawsuit contends he was humiliated and fired as Columbia area manager of the Small Business Development Center at the Darla Moore School of Business without cause.

The lawsuit said he questioned the use of billions of dollars in federal grants administered by the center.

His lawsuit names specific employees of the center and what he says they did to him, but the university is charged as the defendant.

His lawsuit says that the university, through its employees’ actions, violated his rights as a whistle blower in trying to hold the SCSBDC accountable for providing false and otherwise fraudulent information about business formation, grants and other issues.

The lawsuit, filed by Ryan Hicks of the Cromer Babb law firm, asks for unspecified damages to be determined by a jury and recovery of his legal costs.