Smokey Robinson accused by former housekeepers of sexual assault
Legendary Motown musician Smokey Robinson faces allegations of sexual assault from housekeepers who sued him on Tuesday for $50 million.
More than a week after four former housekeepers sued Smokey Robinson and accused him of sexually abusing them for years, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has opened an investigation into the 85-year-old singer.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau is actively investigating criminal allegations involving William Robinson AKA ‘Smokey Robinson,’” an LASD spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY. “The investigation is in the early stages, and we have no further comment.”
In a statement to USA TODAY, Smokey Robinson’s attorney, Christopher Frost, said they “welcome” this investigation and “feel confident” that the R&B and soul singer would be cleared of wrongdoing.
“We are aware that a police report has now been filed by the Plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit. It is clear to us what is happening here. Plaintiffs filed a police report only after they filed a $50 million lawsuit. This means only that the police are now required to investigate,” Frost said. “We welcome that investigation, which involves Plaintiffs who continue to hide their identities, because exposure to the truth is a powerful thing.
“We feel confident that a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong, and that this is a desperate attempt to prejudice public opinion and make even more of a media circus than the Plaintiffs were previously able to create,” the statement continued. “The record will ultimately demonstrate that this is nothing more than a manufactured lawsuit intended to tarnish the good names of Smokey and Frances Robinson, for no other reason than unadulterated avarice.”
John Harris and Herbert Hayden, the attorneys representing the four anonymous accusers, said in a statement to USA TODAY that “we are pleased to learn that the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept has opened a criminal investigation into our clients’ claims of sexual assault against Smokey Robinson.”
The statement continued, “Our clients intend to fully cooperate with LASD’s ongoing investigation in the pursuit of seeking justice for themselves and others that may have been similarly assaulted by him.”
TMZ was first to report the news.
What is Smokey Robinson accused of doing?
In a civil lawsuit filed May 6 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the women – who used Jane Doe aliases – alleged Robinson assaulted each of them numerous times inside his home while they were carrying out their duties as housekeepers. These incidents eventually forced each of them to resign from working at his Los Angeles-area home, according to the lawsuit.
Most of the Jane Does described fear of reprisal and “the possible adverse effect on her immigration status” if they were to report the incidents to law enforcement.
In addition to leveling accusations of labor law violations, the lawsuit also alleged Smokey’s wife, Frances Robinson, perpetuated the hostile work environment and failed to prevent the alleged assaults “despite having full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct.”
Jane Doe 1 claimed in the lawsuit that Robinson raped her numerous times during her employment with the singer, which reportedly lasted from January 2023 to February 2024.
Jane Doe 2 said she’d worked for Robinson and his wife from about May 2014 until February 2020. According to the lawsuit, Doe was repeatedly subjected to Robinson’s “brutal sexual advances,” which allegedly began in the latter half of 2016. She said Robinson assaulted her at least 23 times.
Jane Doe 3, allegedly employed by the couple from about February 2012 to April 2024, claimed Robinson raped her at least 20 times throughout her employment.
Jane Doe 4, who allegedly worked for the couple from about October 2006 to April 2024, said the musician first sexually assaulted her in 2007, setting off a years-long cycle of sexual assault.
Smokey Robinson’s lawyer accuses women of ‘trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon’
An attorney for Robinson denied the allegations in a statement provided to USA TODAY on May 7.
“As this case progresses, the evidence (the crucial element that guides us) will show that this is simply an ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon — $50 million dollars, to be exact,” the attorney, Christopher Frost, said, adding that the allegations are “vile” and “false,” and “we will be asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit.”
Robinson’s attorney went on to slam the “vile, false allegations against Mr. and Mrs. Robinson,” alleging the accusers are trying to create a “media circus.” Without providing specifics, Frost also alleged that numerous aspects of the complaint “defy credulity” and that there are “issues relating to purported timelines, inconsistencies, and relationships between the plaintiffs and others.”
“We ask anyone following this case to reserve judgment as the evidence comes to light and all the actual facts of the case unfold,” Frost said, noting that “in time,” Robinson will “respond in his own words.”
Contributing: Edward Segarra and Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
