Smokey Robinson's defamation claim against former employees suing him for sexual assault has been dismissed.
The Motown icon and his wife Frances had taken legal action against the plaintiffs and their lawyer for branding him a "serial and sick rapist" at a press conference in 2025, and Judge Kevin C. Brazile has ruled that there isn't sufficient evidence to hold them liable.
According to a court document obtained by PEOPLE magazine, he said: "There is evidence supporting the Robinsons, including inconsistencies and unusual circumstances, like encouraging a sister to work after the assaults.
"However, the evidence of actual malice does not approach the clear and convincing standard."
He added that the Robinsons could not prove that the plaintiffs acted with "actual malice".
The 86-year-old singer still has separate claims pending against his accusers for allegedly deleting evidence and stealing his personal property.
The former employees, who have anonymously alleged that Smokey sexually abused them, have been accused of defamation, financial elder abuse, intentional infliction of emotional distress and more.
In response to the defamation claims being dismissed, the accusers' lawyer John W. Harris told PEOPLE that the decision "stands as a powerful and unequivocal victory for our clients and for survivors everywhere who refuse to be silenced".
Harris claimed: "The Court saw this $500 million countersuit for what it is — a blatant, retaliatory attempt to intimidate, discredit, and punish women for speaking out about sexual assault.
“California’s anti-SLAPP law exists to stop exactly this kind of abuse of the legal system, where wealth and power are used as weapons against those seeking accountability.
“Our clients have done everything asked of them and more — sitting for depositions, in some cases multiple times, and fully participating in this process — all while enduring an ongoing campaign of harassment and public attacks designed to break their resolve. That ends here."
Meanwhile, the musician's attorney Christopher Frost described the ruling as "incorrect in the claims it did dismiss", alleging that "there is plenty of evidence of actual malice on the part of the attorneys".
Frost continued: "More fundamentally, our focus remains on showing that the Jane Does' claims are untrue and fabricated.
"Even the Court, in its ruling, recognised the numerous inconsistencies in their testimony."
He claimed that the defamation claims were "dismissed on a technicality".
In May this year, Jane Doe 4 and three other women accused the Tears of a Clown singer of sexual assault and harassment in a $50 million lawsuit.
Jane Doe 4 alleged she was coerced into resigning from her job after "repeated sexual assault and sexual harassment".
Smokey Robinson has denied the allegations against him.
