Robert Freeman, an attorney who’s worked for more than four decades as the state’s public information adviser for the press and public, was fired this week after an investigation found he acted in a sexually inappropriate manner toward a female reporter, according to a news report.

The Journal News, a newspaper from the New York City suburbs, reported Monday that one of its reporters had filed a complaint earlier this month against Freeman, who she alleged had sexually assaulted her during a visit to his office.