Mike Goodwin is reporting for the Times Union former executive director of the state's Committee on Open Government, Robert Freeman, has resigned from the state bar. Freeman was fired last year after an investigation into allegations that he behaved in a "sexually inappropriate manner" toward a female reporter. He applied to give up his law license as the Attorney Grievance Committee for the Third Judicial Department was conducting an investigation into his conduct. The committee did not oppose his decision to resign, according to a decision issued November 12, by the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court. The court accepted Freeman's request to resign and ordered his disbarment. When he was terminated in June 2019, Freeman had been with the Committee on Open Government since 1976 and was a renowned expert on government transparency. He was a frequent contact for reporters and the public when they needed help navigating the state's Freedom of Information and Open Meetings laws. The state launched an investigation of Freeman's conduct after a female reporter for the Westchester-based Journal News filed a complaint with the state in June 2019. In addition to his inappropriate behavior, state Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro reported that Freeman's work computer contained sexually explicit photographs, as well as a series of "sexually suggestive" email messages and photographic images that Freeman exchanged with another young woman using his work email account. Read the full story in the Times Union.