Smokey Robinson has been accused of sexually assault and misconduct by four women who worked as his housekeepers.
The Motown legend, 85, allegedly subjected the women - named Jane Does 1, 2, 3, and 4 - to “repeated sexual assaults and sexual harassment” from 2007 to 2024.
They claimed The Miracles frontman assaulted them in places with no CCTV cameras at his Chatsworth, Los Angeles home and other locations, including a house in Las Vegas.
The women are seeking $50 million in damages for charges including sexual battery, false imprisonment, negligence, and gender violence in a lawsuit filed at Los Angeles Superior Court on May 6.
“We believe Mr Robinson is a sick and serial rapist that must be stopped,” their attorney John Harris said at a news conference, per The Guardian.
He emphasized the “vulnerability” of Robinson’s accusers compared with the singer who has worked with icons like The Temptations and Marvin Gaye in a career spanning decades and holds spots in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Halls of Fame.
“They’re Hispanic women who were employed by the Robinsons earning below minimum wage,” Harris said.
“As low-wage women in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options necessary to protect themselves from sexual assaults.
“They all feared missing a pay day and not being able to pay their rent or buy food for their families.”
The Standard has contacted representatives for the Robinsons for comment.
The women also named Robinson’s wife, Frances Robinson, in the complaint and accused her of a list of alleged labour violations, including failure to pay minimum wage, failure to pay overtime, inaccurate wage statements and hostile work environment.
They claimed she verbally abused the women and contributed to a “hostile” work environment by using “ethnically pejorative words and language” while allegedly yelling at them.
Jane Doe 1 worked for the couple from March 2023 to February 2024, while Jane Doe 2 was employed from May 2014 to February 2020 and Jane Doe 3 worked for them from February 2012 until April 2024.
The lawsuit claimed Jane Doe 1 worked on weekends, when Robinson would allegedly rush home to be alone with her after dropping his wife at the nail salon.
Jane Doe 2 was assaulted on at least 23 different occasions, with the alleged assaults beginning in 2016, according to the court filing.
Robinson allegedly texted her to go to different areas of his house where he would “grab” her and “rape” her, causing “excruciating pain”, the lawsuit claimed.
She alleged that he raped her in the laundry room and garage of his Chatsworth home where there were no CCTV cameras.
Jane Doe 3 was allegedly raped at least 20 times.
Jane Doe 4 reportedly worked as the singer’s housekeeper and Frances’ personal assistant, cook, and hairdresser from October 2006 until April 2024, when she resigned.
The suit claimed Robinson sexually assaulted her at least seven times after allegedly calling her into his bedroom, locking the door, and showering.
She alleged the sexual assault began in 2007 during a trip to Las Vegas.
All four women described similar patterns of alleged misconduct, alleging that he sexually assaulted them in the “blue bedroom” of his Chatsworth home and laying down on a towel to protect the bed sheets.
No police reports or criminal charges have been filed against Robinson, according to the law firm Hayden and Harris.
