Smokey Robinson denies claims of sexual assault, attorney says
An attorney for Smokey Robinson on Wednesday called accusations of sexual assault against the Motown legend false and said that the 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me' singer will respond in the coming days.
Four former housekeepers of Robinson's in a lawsuit filed Tuesday accused him of sexually assaulting them, which was alleged to have gone on for years. The lawsuit seeks no less than $50 million in damages.
Robinson's attorney, Christopher Frost, in a statement late Wednesday called the lawsuit "simply an ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon."
"Through this process we have seen the bizarre theatrics of yesterday's news conference, as the plaintiffs' attorneys outlined vile, false allegations against Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, trying to enlist the public as an unwitting participant in the media circus they are trying to create," Frost said in the statement.
Frost also said that "in time Mr. Robinson will respond in his own words."
The lawsuit filed against Robinson in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleged that the assaults largely occurred at Robinson's home in Chatsworth, a Los Angeles neighborhood in the far northwestern section of the city.
The women who sued are identified in the lawsuit as Jane Does 1-4. Three of them appeared Tuesday at a news conference in Los Angeles wearing masks, and a fourth appeared virtually.
One of their attorneys, John Harris, said at that event that the women 'were Hispanic women employed as housekeepers earning below minimum wage."
"As low-wage workers in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options to protect themselves," Harris said.
The suit alleges that Robinson assaulted one woman at least 23 times from May 2014 to February 2020, often in places in his home without security cameras.
The suit alleges that he assaulted another former employee at least 20 times during the 12 years she worked for him, beginning in 2012. According to the suit, Robinson would force her into his bedroom and perform a 'ritual' of leaving his bathroom naked or nearly naked.
According to the suit, Robinson would then place a towel on his bed so the linens would not be soiled 'for what was about to occur.'
The suit says he subjected two other plaintiffs to the same behavior. One of the former housekeepers worked for Robinson for 13 months, during which, she alleges, he assaulted her at least seven times.
All of the plaintiffs accused Robinson's wife, Frances Robinson, who is also named as a defendant, of perpetuating a hostile work environment by screaming at them and using ethnically pejorative language.
Robinson was a pioneer for Motown Records, founding the vocal group the Miracles in the 1950s and later releasing albums as a solo artist and working as a record executive for the label. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Frost, Robinson's lawyer, said they will seek to have the lawsuit dismissed. He also criticized the lawyers for the women over the press conference, saying that they "have reached beyond the bounds of liberties that even lawyers are typically allowed in this context."
"We will have more to say on this matter, as we fiercely defend our clients against these false allegations and work to protect their good names," Frost said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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