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Japan Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Smokey Robinson sues former housekeepers for defamation over rape allegations
FILE - Smokey Robinson attends the screening for "The Apollo" during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) 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.
Yomiuri Shimbun
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Criminal Investigation Opened in Rape and Sexual Assault Allegations against Smokey Robinson
AP file photo Smokey Robinson attends the screening for 'The Apollo' during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, 2019, in New York. LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Thursday that it has opened a criminal investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations against Motown music luminary Smokey Robinson. The department said in a statement that its Special Victims Bureau is 'actively investigating criminal allegations' against Robinson. Last week, four former housekeepers of Robinson filed a lawsuit alleging that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted them, in some cases for years, while they worked for him. The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024. Robinson's lawyer said there was no merit to the allegations against the 85-year-old musical icon who was among the biggest hitmakers of the 1960s. The attorney, Christopher Frost, said Tuesday the only reason for the suit is 'unadulterated avarice.' 'We feel confident that a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong, and that this is a desperate attempt to prejudice public opinion and make even more of a media circus than the Plaintiffs were previously able to create,' Frost said. John Harris and Herbert Hayden, the lawyers for the women, say they are pleased to learn that law enforcement is pursuing the allegations. 'Our clients intend to fully cooperate with LASD's ongoing investigation in the pursuit of seeking justice for themselves and others that may have been similarly assaulted by him,' the lawyers said. The sheriff's statement said the investigation is in its early stages, and no other details would be provided. Robinson's attorney said last week that the allegations 'defy credulity' and are full of inconsistencies. The four women, whose names have not been made public, each allege that Smokey Robinson would wait until he was alone with them in his Los Angeles house and then sexually assault and rape them. One woman said she worked for Robinson from 2012 until 2024 and was assaulted at least 20 times. Another said she worked for him from 2014 until 2020 and was assaulted at least 23 times. Harris called Robinson a 'serial and sick rapist' who must be stopped. When asked at a May 6 news conference whether the women had talked to police, Hayden said no, but felt the allegations merited law enforcement getting involved. All of the accusers said they eventually quit over the assaults. And all said they feared coming forward over fears of retaliation, public shame and possible effects on their immigration status. Robinson churned out a host of hits as a central part of the Motown Records machine — both with his group the Miracles and as a solo artist, with songs including 'Tears of a Clown' and 'The Tracks of My Tears.' He also wrote and co-wrote songs for other Motown artists, including the Temptations' 'My Girl.' He is a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Yomiuri Shimbun
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Smokey Robinson Accused by Former Housekeepers of Sexual Assault and Rape
AP file photo Smokey Robinson attends the screening for 'The Apollo' during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, 2019, in New York. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four former housekeepers of Smokey Robinson allege in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Motown music luminary repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped them while they worked for him. The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024, and labor violations including a hostile work environment, illegally long hours and lack of pay. A message seeking comment from a representative for the 85-year-old Robinson was not immediately answered. The four women each say that Robinson would wait until he was alone with them in his Los Angeles house then sexually assault and rape them over their objections. 'We believe that Mr. Robinson is a serial and sick rapist, and must be stopped,' the women's attorney John Harris said at a news conference. All said they eventually quit over the assaults, though in some cases it took several years. And all said they feared coming forward over fears of retaliation, public shame and possible effects on their immigration status. 'Having to tell their husband and children of these despicable actions left them filled with shame and embarrassment,' Harris said. 'So throughout their dreadful experiences with Mr. Robinson, all four women remained silent.' He said as low-wage earners, they also all feared 'missing a payday, and not being able to afford rent or buy food for their families.' All four women withheld their legal names citing privacy concerns and are identified as Jane Does in court documents. They appeared at the news conference with their attorneys, but did not speak, and covered their faces with masks. The lawsuit also names Robinson's wife Frances Robinson as a defendant, alleging that she enabled his behavior despite knowing about past sexual misconduct. It also blames her for the hostile work environment, saying she berated them with language that included ethnic slurs. One woman said she worked for the Robinsons from 2012 until 2024, and was assaulted at least 20 times in that span. Another said she worked for them from 2014 until 2020, and was assaulted at least 23 times. Another said she worked for them for a year before quitting in 2024 and was assaulted at least seven times. The fourth woman, who said she also acted as Frances Robinson's personal assistant, hairdresser and cook, worked for them for 18 years before resigning in 2024. She cited similar experiences to the other women, but did not say how often she was assaulted. The women, some of whom worked for the Robinsons at the same time as each other, also kept stories of the assaults from one another, but are now bonding over their experience, the attorneys said. They declined to give details at the news conference about how they came forward and learned there were others. The suit seeks damages based on sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and other allegations. 'Obviously, no amount of money can compensate these women for what Mr. Robinson put them through,' Harris said. But he said the $50 million was warranted 'based on the gravity of Mr. Robinson's despicable and reprehensible misconduct.' Plaintiffs' attorney Herbert Hayden said that while they felt the assaults are worthy of criminal investigation, the women have not filed police reports, based on the same fears that kept them from coming forward. Robinson, a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, was among the biggest hitmakers of the 1960s — both with his group the Miracles and as a solo artist, with songs including 'Tears of a Clown' and 'The Tracks of My Tears.' He was a central part of the Motown Records music machine in his hometown of Detroit as an artist, producer and songwriter for other artists.
