Oregon Public Broadcasting

An Ashland-based journalist has been fined more than $120,000 for sexually harassing and then firing a 25-year-old employee.

Michael Ruppert blogs, writes books, and is the subject of a new documentary film: Collapse. For a time he operated his magazine From the Wilderness in Ashland.

State labor commissioner, Brad Avakian, says Ruppert continually propositioned Lindsay Gerken – one time walking into her office wearing nothing but his underwear and a smile.

Brad Avakian: “We had one of our investigators do a thorough investigation. And after finding evidence that he had done these things, we prosecuted the case to one of our administrative law judges. Michael Ruppert represented himself at the trial and the judge found against him.”

Avakian says Ruppert continually had conversations of a sexual nature in the office and left the woman frightened.

He says Ruppert then fired her for turning him down and then tried to trash her reputation on the internet.

Calls to Ruppert were not immediately returned.