William Ramey, managing partner of Ramey & Schwaller in Houston, is facing a felony charge of attempted sexual assault against a co-worker at his firm's office in 2018.

Ramey appeared in court on Sept. 27 at a probable cause hearing on the charge and is out on a $20,000 bond, according to Harris County District Clerk records. His arraignment is scheduled for next month.

In a probable cause affidavit filed Sept. 25—which Texas Lawyer recently obtained—a woman who worked with Ramey for six years told a police officer that she "believes she was sexually assaulted" by him.

Neal Davis, a Houston criminal defense attorney who represents Ramey, said when reached for comment Wednesday, "He's not guilty."

"We have a grand jury process in felonies. It's a bulwark against unsupported charges and we look forward to representing our case to the grand jury in a dispassionate manner and look forward to our day in court," Davis said.

Davis said Ramey has not entered a formal plea, but there is a presumption in state court that defendants are pleading not guilty.

Ramey did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charge. Davis said his client continues to practice law.

Ramey & Schwaller is a small intellectual property firm, with eight lawyers listed on its website. Name partner Melissa Schwaller did not immediately respond to a request for comment on behalf of the firm.

According to the affidavit, the woman—who is not identified by name—stated she and Ramey were alone in a conference room at the firm's office at about 5:40 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2018, and he gave her an alcoholic beverage, which she consumed. He then confided some personal information to her, the affidavit said.

Ramey then turned off the lights in the room, although she asked him to leave them on, the affidavit said, citing the woman's statement. Then, she alleged, Ramey pinned her down in her chair, got on top of her, exposed his penis, and attempted to make her perform oral sex on him.

According to the affidavit, the woman told the police officer she "resisted" and told Ramey to stop, but she then blacked out. She stated the next thing she remembered was waking up at about 2 a.m. in a bathroom at the office.

"Complainant said she had a bruised and bloody face, severe rug burn on her forehead, multiple scratches, bruising on her knees, body pain and bloody nose," the police officer wrote in the affidavit.

The woman stated she was alone in the office and she attempted to contact Ramey several times on his cellphone, and at 3:57 a.m. he sent her a text message that said he was on the way to the office to check on her.

The next day, according to the affidavit, the woman called Ramey and confronted him about her injuries, but he denied remembering much of what happened that evening. She said Ramey told her he had texted his wife at 9:30 the night before "asking for help," and he asked her why he would have done so, the affidavit said.

"Ramey claimed not to remember three hours of the night," the woman stated in the affidavit.

About two days after the alleged assault, Ramey told her via text that he had left a check in her desk for $10,000 for medical expenses, the affidavit said. But after the alleged assault she never returned to the office, according to her statement.

Ramey's case is assigned to the 339th District Court in Harris County.