A former employee is suing one of Bend’s fastest growing local companies for $850,000, alleging she was subjected to inappropriate sexual conduct.

Jennifer Ramos is suing G5 Search Marketing claiming unlawful employment practices and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In 2011, G5 was named a “winning workplace” by Inc. magazine. In 2010, Outside Magazine named G5 one of its best 50 places to work. It’s been listed in the Portland Business Journal as one of Oregon’s fastest growing private companies for three consecutive years.

In a prepared statement, CEO Dan Hobin wrote, “We have acted fairly. The Company believes that it has taken the appropriate action to resolve the issues raised and will vigorously defend itself in this matter.”

The phone number listed on the lawsuit for Ramos’ attorney, Claud Ingram, was not in service. Emails to Ingram were not returned.

According to the lawsuit, Ramos began at the firm in January 2011 in the engineering department. She was the only female in the department, and the lawsuit alleges the male employees, including supervisors and one executive, were sexually inappropriate in front of her.

Among the allegations, Ramos claims the men changed clothes in front of her, discussed masturbation and played music with “sexual and demeaning lyrics.” She also alleges one of the male engineers kept a statue of a penis on his desk, that the men made “inappropriate body language of a sexual nature” toward Ramos, and that they made comments about her underwear.

Ramos alleges she told human resources personnel about the issues in April 2011, but the behavior continued.

The lawsuit alleges Ramos suffered a panic attack in September 2011 because of her working environment, and filed a formal complaint with the human resources department.

The department conducted an investigation, the lawsuit alleges, and determined the conduct had taken place.

Ramos, who is described in the lawsuit as having a disability, moved to a different position in the company and worked from home until Jan. 6, 2012. At that point, the lawsuit alleges, she had to come back to the office and work near the engineering department. She complained to her supervisor and asked that she not be required to work near the men in the department. Ramos was fired Jan. 17.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for February.