Smokey Robinson accused of sexual assault by four former employees

Smokey Robinson has been accused of sexual assault by four former employees.

The singer and ex-Motown Records executive, 85, is accused of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment.

His wife, Frances Robinson, is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit – which was submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday (May 6).

It is reported that all four plaintiffs – identified as Jane Does – previously worked as housekeepers for Robinson and his wife. According to KTLA5, the alleged incidents spanned from 2007 to April 2024.

The women are suing Robinson for a total of $50million (£37.5million) in damages.

The suit accuses Robinson of forcing himself on the alleged victims’ “entire bodies, including their vaginas, breasts, legs, abdomen, lips, and face”. They also claim that they did not consent to his “sexual contact or touching”.

The complaint reads: “Plaintiffs explicitly told Defendant Robinson on numerous occasions that they were not interested in his advances and objected to his forceful, physical, sexual, and harmful conduct.”

Each of the four women claim that Robinson’s wife did nothing to prevent his alleged behaviour, even though she allegedly had “full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct, having settled cases with other women that suffered and experienced similar sexual assaults perpetuated by him”.

Additionally, the plaintiffs allege that Frances “perpetuated a hostile work environment by regularly screaming at them separately in a hostile manner, using ethnically pejorative words and language”.

The women claim that the married couple failed to pay them minimum wage or overtime if they worked more than eight hours. They also allege that they weren’t given rest or lunch breaks, and worked holidays without receiving any extra pay.

Each plaintiff claim that the defendants failed to provide them with wage slips for their completed work hours.

According to court documents, each woman did not want to report Robinson to the police over concerns of losing their livelihoods, “familial reprisal, public embarrassment, shame and humiliation”, and “the possible adverse effect on her immigration status, as well as being threatened and intimidated by Robinson’s well-recognised celebrity status and his influential friends and associates”.

The plaintiffs claim that they “suffered and continue to suffer economic damages, as well as severe emotional and physical harm, humiliation, distress, embarrassment, and anxiety as a result of Robinson’s conduct”.

Speaking in a press conference, attorney John Harris said (via The Guardian): “They’re Hispanic women who were employed by the Robinsons earning below minimum wage. As low-wage women in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options necessary to protect themselves from sexual assaults.”

He added: “We believe Mr Robinson is a sick and serial rapist that must be stopped.”

No police reports or criminal charges have been filed against Robinson, it has been reported. He has not yet responded to the allegations levelled against him, at the time of writing.

Smokey Robinson is due to play his first UK shows in over 15 years this summer. He’s scheduled to make an appearance at the Love Supreme Festival, and perform headline concerts in Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff and London.

For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.

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