Smokey Robinson sues former housekeepers for defamation over rape allegations
By ANDREW DALTON
Smokey Robinson has filed a defamation lawsuit against four former housekeepers who accused him of rape and prompted a police investigation.
Robinson and his wife Frances Robinson filed the counterclaim Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the women and their lawyers, whose allegations, they say, were 'fabricated in an extortionate scheme.'
The filing is a fast and forceful legal and public pushback from the 85-year-old Motown music luminary in response to the women's May 6 lawsuit and a May 15 announcement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that its Special Victims Bureau is 'actively investigating criminal allegations' against Robinson.
The women are seeking at least $50 million, alleging Smokey Robinson repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted them in his home when they worked for him between 2007 and 2024. They said Frances Robinson, a co-defendant, enabled him and created an abusive workplace.
The counterclaim opens with friendly text messages from the women to contradict their claims against Robinson, whose songs, including 'Tears of a Clown' and 'The Tracks of My Tears," established him among the biggest hitmakers of the 1960s.
The filing says the women 'stayed with the Robinsons year after year,' vacationed with them, celebrated holidays with them, exchanged gifts with them, asked for tickets to his concerts, and sought and received help from them including money for dental surgery, financial support for a disabled family member, and 'even a car.'
The filing — which includes photos from the vacations and gatherings as exhibits — says that despite the couple's generosity, the women 'secretly harbored resentment for the Robinsons and sought to enrich themselves through the Robinsons' wealth.'
'Unfortunately, the depths of Plaintiffs' avarice and greed know no bounds,' the counterclaim says. 'During the very time that the Robinsons were being extraordinarily generous with Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs were concocting an extortionate plan to take everything from the Robinsons.'
John Harris and Herbert Hayden, attorneys for the former housekeepers, said in a statement that the defamation suit '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.'
The lawyers said they intend to get the Robinsons' lawsuit thrown out by invoking California's laws against using the courts to silence and intimidate people who sue.
The four women, whose names are withheld in their lawsuit, each allege that Robinson would wait until they were alone with him in his Los Angeles house and then sexually assault and rape them. One woman said she was assaulted at least 20 times while working for Robinson from 2012 until 2024. Another said she worked for him from 2014 until 2020 and was assaulted at least 23 times.
The Sheriff's Department would give no details on its investigation beyond confirming its existence.
Robinson, who was a central figure in the Motown Records machine with his group the Miracles and as a solo artist, is a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
8 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Tristan Rogers, who played super spy Robert Scorpio on 'General Hospital,' dies at 79
(AP) -- Tristan Rogers, who played legacy character Robert Scorpio on ABC's "General Hospital," died Friday, less than one month after he made a special appearance on the soap opera. He was 79. "The entire 'General Hospital' family is heartbroken to hear of Tristan Rogers' passing," said Frank Valentini, the show's executive producer, in a statement. "Tristan has captivated our fans for 45 years and Port Charles will not be the same without him (or Robert Scorpio)." Born in Melbourne, Australia, Rogers' first foray into performing was in his early twenties and playing drums in a rock band with a group of friends. They weren't successful so Rogers turned to commercial work and modeling to earn some money. When the band dissolved, Rogers decided to give acting a try. After various roles in Australia, he also worked as a DJ and eventually moved to Los Angeles to try to break into Hollywood. He said casting directors were initially turned off by his accent but he eventually landed a two-day role on "General Hospital" in 1980. "I had no idea at the point how big the show was," Rogers told fellow "General Hospital" actor Maurice Benard on the YouTube show, "State of Mind with Maurice Benard" in 2022. "I had no name. I was brought in expressly to beat up the hero, Luke, (played by Anthony Geary), and then disappear," Rogers said. His first day was half-over when then-executive producer Gloria Monty asked if he would like to stay on. They had no character written for him so for three weeks Monty asked him to just appear in scenes "looking furtive, looking suspicious" until they came up with a storyline. It was decided he would play a spy known as "CK8" and eventually he was given the name Robert Scorpio. The character would remain a fixture in Port Charles for the rest of Rogers' life, even when he wasn't a current cast member. Scorpio's on again/off again romance with Emma Samms' character, Holly Sutton, remained a favorite among fans. Scorpio also had a romance, and many storylines with another spy, Anna Devane, played by Finola Hughes. Scorpio and Devane shared a daughter, Robin, played by Kimberly McCullough. Samms returned to the show for a stint last fall where it was revealed that Scorpio was the father of her adult daughter, Sasha Gilmore (played by Sofia Mattson.) Rogers and Samms left the show together in November 2024 in scenes taped with a nod to "Casablanca." He returned to the show in July for one episode when Sasha arrived to his home in France with her new baby. It was then revealed that Rogers had lung cancer Rogers' other acting credits include "The Bold and the Beautiful," "The Young & the Restless" and "Studio City," which won him outstanding supporting actor in a digital drama series at the Daytime Emmy Awards. He is survived by his wife, Teresa Parkerson, and a daughter and a son.
The Mainichi
13 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Trump administration agrees to keep DC police chief in place, but with immigration enforcement order
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration on Friday reversed course and agreed to leave the Washington, D.C., police chief in control of the department, while Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a new memo, directed the District's police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. The order from Bondi came after officials in the nation's capital sued Friday to block President Donald Trump's takeover of the Washington police. The night before, his administration had escalated its intervention into the city's law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department, essentially placing the police force under the full control of the federal government. The attorney general's new order represents a partial retreat for the Trump administration in the face of intense skepticism from a judge over the legality of Bondi's earlier directive. But Bondi also signaled the administration would continue to pressure D.C. leaders to help federal authorities aggressively pursue immigrants in the country illegally, despite city laws on the books that limit cooperation between police and immigration authorities. In a social media post Friday evening, Bondi criticized D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, saying he "continues to oppose our efforts to improve public safety." But she added, "We remain committed to working closely with Mayor Bowser." Mayor Muriel Bowser's office said late Friday that it was still evaluating how it can comply with the new Bondi order on immigration enforcement operations. The police department already eased some restrictions on cooperating with federal officials facilitating Trump's mass-deportation campaign but reaffirmed that it would follow the district's sanctuary city laws. In a letter sent Friday night to D.C. citizens, Bowser wrote: "It has been an unsettling and unprecedented week in our city. Over the course of a week, the surge in federal law enforcement across D.C. has created waves of anxiety." She added that "our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now," but added that if Washingtonians stick together, "we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy -- even when we don't have full access to it." The legal battle was the latest evidence of the escalating tensions in a mostly Democratic city that now has its police department largely under the control of the Republican president's administration. Trump's takeover is historic, yet it had played out with a slow ramp-up in federal law enforcement officials and National Guard troops to start the week. As the weekend approached, though, signs across the city -- from the streets to the legal system -- suggested a deepening crisis over who controls the city's immigration and policing policies, the district's right to govern itself and daily life for the millions of people who live and work in the metro area. A push for compromise The two sides sparred in court for hours Friday before U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who is overseeing the district's lawsuit. She indicated the law likely doesn't grant the Trump administration power to fully take over city police, but it probably does give the president more power than the city might like. "The way I read the statute, the president can ask, the mayor must provide, but the president can't control," said Reyes, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden. The judge pushed the two sides to make a compromise. An attorney for the Trump administration, Yaakov Roth, said the move to sideline Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith came after an immigration order that still held back some aid to federal authorities. He argued that the president has broad authority to determine what kind of help police in Washington must provide. The police takeover is the latest move by Trump to test the limits of his legal authorities to carry out his agenda, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to bolster his tough-on-crime message and his plans to speed up the mass deportation of people in the United States illegally. It also marks one of the most sweeping assertions of federal authority over a local government in modern times. While Washington has grappled with spikes in violence and visible homelessness, the city's homicide rate ranks below those of several other major U.S. cities, and the capital is not in the throes of the public safety collapse the Trump administration has portrayed. The president has more power over the nation's capital than other cities, but D.C. has elected its own mayor and city council since the Home Rule Act was signed in 1973. Trump is the first president to exert control over the city's police force since it was passed. The law limits that control to 30 days without congressional approval, though Trump has suggested he'd seek to extend it. Chief had agreed to share immigration information Bondi's Thursday night directive to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, in charge of the police department came even after Smith had told MPD officers hours earlier to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody, such as someone involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint. The Justice Department said Bondi disagreed with the police chief's instructions because they allowed for continued practice of "sanctuary policies," which generally limit cooperation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers. Meanwhile, advocates in Washington were trying to advise immigrants on how to respond. Anusce Sanai, associate legal director for the Washington-based immigrant nonprofit Ayuda, said they're still parsing the legal aspects of the policies. "Even with the most anti-immigrant administration, we would always tell our clients that they must call the police, that they should call the police," Sanai said. "But now we find ourselves that we have to be very careful on what we advise." Amy Fischer, an organizer with Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid, said that before the federal takeover, most of what they had seen in the nation's capital was Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeting specific individuals. But since last Friday night they've seen a "really significant change," she said, with ICE and federal officers doing roving patrols around the city. She said a hotline set up by immigration advocates to report ICE activity "is receiving calls almost off the hook." ICE said in a post on X that their teams had arrested "several" people in Washington Friday. A video posted on X showed two uniformed personnel putting handcuffs on someone while standing outside a white transport van. Residents are seeing a significant show of force A population already tense from days of ramp-up has begun seeing more significant shows of force across the city. National Guard troops watched over some of the world's most renowned landmarks, and Humvees took position in front of the busy main train station. Volunteers helped homeless people leave long-standing encampments -- to where was often unclear. Friday night along the district's U Street, a popular nightlife corridor, an Associated Press photographer saw officers from the FBI, the DEA, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Marshals and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Yomiuri Shimbun
13 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Serbia's Police Fire Tear Gas as They Clash with Anti-government Protesters in Downtown Belgrade
BELGRADE (AP) — Police fired tear gas at anti-government protesters in downtown Belgrade as they clashed for the third day on Friday in the Serbian capital and other cities amid reports of police brutality and excessive use of force during the unrest. The anti-government rallies were held on Friday night across Serbia under the slogan: 'Let's show them we are not a punching bag.' Police deployed armored vehicles in parts of the capital as protesters faced off against riot police separating them from pro-government supporters in downtown Belgrade. Groups of protesters, most of them wearing facemasks, fired flares and threw rocks and eggs at the riot police, who charged them while mounted on armored vehicles in the wide boulevard in front of the Serbian government headquarters. Some people were seen getting first aid, but there were no immediate reports of how many were injured. Thrash cannisters were rolled onto the streets, some set on fire. The chaotic scenes in Belgrade were repeated in similar clashes in several other cities and towns. Earlier Friday, Serbian police said they detained hundreds of demonstrators who took part in anti-government protests throughout the country this week. The three days of clashes between the police and loyalists of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic on one side and the anti-government protesters on the other have left dozens injured or detained. The unrest marked a serious escalation of more than nine months of largely peaceful demonstrations led by Serbia's university students that have shaken Vucic's firm grip on power in the Balkan country. The protests that rattled Vucic first started in November, after the collapse of a renovated train station canopy in Serbia's north killed 16 people. Many blame the tragedy on alleged corruption-fueled negligence in state infrastructure projects. Vucic praised the police for their conduct during the latest demonstrations, saying he will propose additional bonuses for the officers. Speaking with state television broadcaster RTS, he repeated his claim that the protests were inspired by the West with the intention of toppling him from power. He has not provided any evidence for the claim. Several social media posts from this week show baton-wielding riot police beating people to the ground and then kicking them with their boots before they were handcuffed. The apparent targets were often women and young people. Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic denied Friday that police used excessive force, blaming the demonstrators for allegedly attacking the officers, who were protecting themselves with riot shields. 'The police were massively and brutally attacked without any provocation. There were violent attempts to breach the cordons,' Dacic said. 'Last night, 75 police officers were injured, and several vehicles were damaged. Those who spread lies about police brutality should comment on this fact.' Opposition leaders called for Dacic to be removed from office. 'They are beating up people on the streets,' said opposition leader Dragan Djilas. 'They also beat up politicians, literally anyone who opposes Aleksandar Vucic, with the clear goal of inflicting serious bodily harm on them.' Another social media video purported to show several young detainees kneeling with their faces to the wall as police officers stood to attention behind them. Some of the apparent detainees had bloodstains on their backs. The EU's Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos earlier this week said the reports of violence at the protests were 'deeply concerning.' Serbia is formally seeking EU membership, but Vucic has maintained strong ties with Russia and China. The Serbian president has faced accusations of stifling democratic freedoms while allowing organized crime and corruption to flourish. He has denied this.
