Smokey Robinson has been accused of sexual assault by four former employees.
On Tuesday, May 6, a $50 million lawsuit was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court against the 85-year-old singer by four Jane Does, accusing him of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence, and creating a hostile work environment.
According to court documents obtained by People magazine, The New York Post, and Variety, the plaintiffs were each employed as housekeepers.
In the complaint, the first Jane Doe claims that his wife, Frances Robinson, had “full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct” and “failed to take the appropriate corrective action” to prevent his “deviant misconduct” even after settling previous sexual assault cases with other women.
She further alleges that the first sexual assault she experienced occurred in March 2023, and that she experienced “repeated sexual assaults and sexual harassment” against her.
The second Jane Doe, who said she worked for the couple from 2014 to 2020, claims she was forced to quit after also experiencing “repeated sexual assaults and sexual harassment” against her, which she alleges began in 2016.
Jane Doe #3, who said she worked as a housekeeper for Smokey from 2012 until 2024, also claims she was forced to resign due to Smokey’s repeated incidents of “sexual assaults and sexual harassment against her,” per the complaint. She further claims in the complaint that Smokey “raped” her from behind “at least 20 times” after forcing her to “lie face down” in a towel.
The fourth housekeeper in the complaint, who worked for the defendants from 2006 to 2024, said she was forced to resign after “repeated sexual assaults and sexual harassment” against her that began in 2007.
The plaintiffs, who are represented by the law firm Harris & Hayden, are seeking $50,000,000 in damages.
At a press conference in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon, attorney John Harris described Robinson as a “serial assaulter,” NPR reported. The attorney added how the Motown legend’s celebrity intimidated the women into remaining silent, especially since they were low-wage workers “living paycheck to paycheck.” In addition to the damages, the women are asking for a trial.
