Smokey Robinson files defamation suit against sexual assault accusers
May 29 (UPI) -- Smokey Robinson and his wife, Frances Robinson, filed a defamation suit against a group of women who have accused him of sexual assault.
The cross-complaint suit claims the sexual assault allegations by four former housekeepers, filed on May 6, were "fabricated" in order to support an "extortionate scheme."
The suit contends that the Robinsons did not harm or abuse the former housekeepers and seeks to force the women who filed their suit using "Jane Doe" names to be publicly identified.
It also alleges they first demanded $100 million before filing the suit.
"When the Robinsons resisted the extortionate demands, plaintiffs filed this lawsuit," attorney Christopher Frost wrote.
The suit further alleges that John Harris, an attorney for the housekeepers, and his firm Harris and Hayden, defamed Robinson by referring to the singer as a "serial and sick rapist" who must be stopped.
Harris and Hayden said in a Wednesday statement they will file a motion to strike down Robinson's suit based on California's law on "strategic lawsuits against public participation," or SLAPP.
The law was designed to prevent harassing lawsuits filed by wealthy celebrities and corporations intended to silence free speech and intimidate accusers.
To succeed in legally striking down a SLAPP lawsuit, defendants must show they are being sued for "any act ... in furtherance of the person's right of petition or free speech under the United States Constitution or the California Constitution in connection with a public issue."
"The cross-complaint ... is nothing more than an attempt to silence and intimidate the survivors of Mr. Robinson's sexual battery and assault. It is a baseless and vindictive legal maneuver designed to re-victimize, shift blame and discourage others from coming forward," lawyers for the women accusing Robinson said in a statement to USA Today.
The women accusing Robinson alleged in their suit that Robinson committed sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, and gender violence for years.
On May 15, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced Robinson is under criminal investigation for sexual assault.
Robinson has denied the allegations.
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