Motown legend Smokey Robinson is under criminal investigation in connection with a sexual assault case filed by four of his former housekeepers in Los Angeles, reports NBC News. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told the news outlet that the probe is in its early stages.
The criminal investigation comes days after Robinson’s former employees accused the 85-year-old singer-songwriter of being a “serial assaulter.” The women are seeking $50 million in damages.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs said in a statement that the women intend to “fully cooperate” with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s ongoing investigation “in the pursuit of seeking justice for themselves and others that may have been similarly assaulted by him,” according to NBC.
Robinson, whose real name is William Robinson Jr., has denied the allegations against him in the lawsuit. An attorney for the Grammy Award-winning star and the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer called the accusations “vile” and “false” and accused their attorneys of “trying to enlist the public as an unwitting participant in the media circus they are trying to create.”
Smokey Robinson’s wife, Frances Robinson, is also named in the lawsuit, which accuses her of helping to foster a hostile working environment.
John Harris, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, described the women as low-wage workers and said they had not previously come forward in fear of public embarrassment and retaliation.
One of the women alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Robinson at least 23 times between 2014 and 2020. Three of them said they were also concerned that their immigration status would be impacted, according to the lawsuit.
