Smokey Robinson named in fifth sexual misconduct complaint as investigation widens after housekeepers' claims

Daily Mail​

25-07-2025

A fifth woman has come forward accusing Motown legend Smokey Robinson of sexual battery, officially filing a police report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, according to law enforcement sources cited by TMZ.
The woman reportedly spoke with a deputy last Wednesday at the department's Malibu/Lost Hills station, formally lodging her complaint against the 85-year-old singer, whose full name is William Robinson Jr.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Robinson's reps for comment.
Robinson became the subject of a criminal investigation by the department's Special Victims Bureau in May, after four former housekeepers accused him of sexual misconduct.
Robinson vehemently denied those initial allegations and told DailyMail.com he was 'appalled' by the lawsuit.
He has since filed a countersuit against the initial four accusers, alleging extortion, defamation, and elder abuse.
The woman reportedly spoke with a deputy last Wednesday at the department's Malibu/Lost Hills station, formally lodging her complaint against the 85-year-old singer, whose full name is William Robinson Jr.; Robinson and wife Frances Robinson (L) in 2024
In June, Robinson claimed the four ex-housekeepers were stalling a rape lawsuit to sabotage his tour and force an 'extortionate' payout.
The singer's legal team filed a motion seeking to compel one of the anonymous accusers, known only as Jane Doe. 2, to sit for a deposition - accusing the women of blocking evidence collection while Robinson is on the road.
His attorney, Christopher Frost, alleges the women's lawyer, John Harris, 'wants to delay all discovery' until a motion to strike Robinson's counterclaims is decided - a move that could stall the case for months.
Frost argues the delay is a strategic attempt to damage Robinson financially during his 50th anniversary A Quiet Storm tour and strengthen the women's settlement demands.
'Plaintiffs have effectively conceded that their intention was to file a salacious lawsuit, do nothing to prosecute it, neuter the Robinsons' ability to defend themselves, and let the lawsuit linger publicly while the Robinsons have to live every day under the unfair specter of public opinion and while Mr. Robinson's tour is negatively affected,' Frost wrote.
'This plays into plaintiffs and cross-defendants' strategy to exact leverage on Mr. and Ms. Robinson.'
'The longer Mr. Robinson's livelihood is harmed, the more pressure there is for the Robinsons to give in to plaintiffs' and cross-defendants' extortionate demands.'
Frost claims the women had previously demanded $100 million from Robinson and his wife Frances before filing the civil suit in May - and are now refusing to engage in discovery while letting the allegations fester in the public eye.
He's asking the court to compel Jane Doe 2 to appear for a deposition at his Los Angeles law office within two weeks of the motion being heard - and to force the women to cover nearly $5,000 in legal fees Robinson has spent bringing the motion.
'If plaintiffs and cross-defendants are not sanctioned for their abusive behavior, they will expect that they can continue this behavior during the pendency of this case, which will only create more delays and more motion practice,' Frost wrote.
'The utilization of this strategy must be nipped in the bud.'
But the women's attorneys blasted the filing as an attempt to intimidate and silence them.
'This motion is a calculated effort to misuse the discovery process in a manner that is both retaliatory and chilling,' lawyers John Harris and Herbert Hayden said in a statement.
'By singling out Jane Doe 2 for a compelled deposition at this early stage, the defendant is engaging in a broader strategy of harassment and coercion - an attempt to retraumatize a survivor of sexual violence under the guise of lawful process.'
'This motion is not about truth-seeking; it is about exerting power. It should be recognized for what it is: a transparent attempt to chill participation in this case and deter other survivors from coming forward.
'We remain steadfast in defending her rights and will hold the Robinsons accountable for any effort to subvert those rights through abusive and vexatious litigation tactics.'
The four plaintiffs who are suing Robinson have chosen to remain nameless and are referred to only as Jane Doe in the filings.
The civil suit, which also names Robinson's wife Frances Robinson, accuses Robinson of a disturbing pattern of abuse and harassment spanning nearly two decades.
The alleged victims worked in his homes in Los Angeles and Las Vegas between 2007 and 2024.
One of the plaintiffs alleged that Robinson sexually assaulted her several times in his mansion beginning in 2016.
The accuser said that Robinson raped her 'without a condom' at least 23 times.
He would then threaten her by saying his wife would be 'mean' to her if she didn't comply, the lawsuit states.
Another former housekeeper alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Robinson at least seven times between January 2023 and February 2024, when she was 'forced to resign due to repeated sexual assaults'.
She claimed that the singer would take his wife to the nail salon on Saturdays and rush home to 'be home alone' with the housekeeper.
The third accuser said she was also working as a housekeeper when Robinson attacked her, and alleged a similar pattern of abuse whereby the singer would lure her to his bedroom.
She said Robinson raped her at least 20 times between 2012 and 2024, and on one occasion he offered her $500 to 'allow him to orally copulate her', per the lawsuit.
The fourth accuser also says she was attacked by Robinson while working as a housekeeper between 2007 and 2024, alleging that he 'never used a condom' while assaulting her in his home.
The complainants allege several offenses, including negligence, sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, gender violence, creating a hostile environment and failure to pay minimum wage.
The lawsuit came just weeks after Robinson released his latest album 'What The World Needs Now' on April 25.