1 day ago
6
Smokey Robinson has filed a $500m (£370m) defamation lawsuit against the four former housekeepers who accused the Motown star of sexual assault earlier this month.
Retaining anonymity, the women characterised Robinson, 85, as a “serial and sick rapist” who had assaulted them on multiple occasions between 2007 and 2024 at three different locations. Their lawyers said that “as low-wage workers in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options necessary to protect themselves from sexual assaults”.
They also accused Robinson and his wife, Frances, of labour violations, including failure to pay minimum wage and overtime, submitting inaccurate wage statements and creating a hostile work environment.
Having denied the women’s claims from the outset, Robinson and Frances are now accusing them of fabricating their accounts to extort money from him. In legal documents obtained by the Guardian, the couple stated that the alleged victims spent years working with them, accepted financial help from the couple and took vacations and celebrated holidays with them.
The Robinsons’ case claims that “the depths of plaintiffs’ avarice and greed knows no bounds”, accusing them of “concocting an extortionate plan to take everything from the Robinsons (everything over and above what they were freely given) and wrongfully destroy the Robinsons’ well-built reputations”.
Robinson faces criminal investigation in Los Angeles over the allegations. He initially said he welcomed the investigation “because exposure to the truth is a powerful thing”. His lawyers claim that the women should not have been permitted anonymity and filed a motion to have their case dismissed.
All of Hispanic origin, the women said they had only now made their allegations public owing to fear about their reputations and – in some cases – their immigration status. They seek £50m (£37m) in damages and a jury trial.
The women also accused Frances of using “ethnically pejorative words and language” and being aware of her husband’s alleged conduct.
“We believe she was aware of the misconduct by her husband … and that she used their status as well as our clients’ reliance on their living wage in order to keep them in check,” said lawyer Herbert Hayden.
Robinson was one of the first stars of Motown, with hits to his name such as The Tears of a Clown, with his group the Miracles – and as a songwriter for the likes of Marvin Gaye and the Temptations. He released his most recent album, What the World Needs Now, this year.
