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New York Post
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Smokey Robinson's lawyer denies ‘false' rape allegations, claims ‘vile' allegation is to ‘extract money'
LOS ANGELES — Smokey Robinson's lawyer said allegations of rape and sexual assault against him in a lawsuit from four former housekeepers are 'vile' and 'false.' Attorney Christopher Frost said in a statement Wednesday that the evidence 'will show that this is simply an ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon.' The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday against the Motown music luminary seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024. Robinson's wife, Frances Robinson, is also named as a defendant for allegedly enabling his behavior and creating an abusive work environment. 'We will be addressing the numerous aspects of the complaint that defy credulity as well as issues relating to purported timelines, inconsistencies, and relationships between the plaintiffs and others,' Frost's statement said. 3 Smokey Robinson is seen arriving at the 'CBS Mornings' show on April 24, 2025 in New York City. GC Images The four women 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 over their objections, in some cases for many years. '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 Tuesday. The Associated Press doesn't identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they publicly identify themselves. The women, whose names are withheld in the lawsuit, appeared with their lawyers at the news conference. They didn't speak, and they covered their faces with masks. 3 The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday against the Motown music luminary seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024. Redferns 3 Smokey Robinson and Frances Gladney attend the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 32nd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on March 10, 2024 in West Hollywood, California. Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation Frost called the news conference 'bizarre theatrics,' and an attempt to 'enlist the public as an unwitting participant in the media circus they are trying to create. We ask anyone following this case to reserve judgment as the evidence comes to light and all the actual facts of the case unfold.' One woman said that she worked for Robinson from 2012 until 2024, and was assaulted at least 20 times in that span. Another said that she worked for him from 2014 until 2020, and was assaulted at least 23 times. All of the accusers 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. The same fears have kept the women from going to police to report Robinson, their lawyers said, though they also said they believe criminal investigation is warranted. The suit seeks damages based on sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and other allegations. Frost said that Robinson would soon address the allegations himself, and that they would be asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit. 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 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.'
New York Post
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Smokey Robinson issues 3-word response to shocking sexual assault allegations
Smokey Robinson has addressed the shocking sexual assault allegations leveled against him. The Motown legend, 85, broke his silence after four women who claim to be his former employees filed a $50 million lawsuit Tuesday with numerous disturbing allegations, including sexual battery and assault. 'I am appalled,' Robinson told the Daily Mail on the phone when asked about the allegations Wednesday morning. 8 Smokey Robinson at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Getty Images The outlet claimed that Robinson 'began mumbling incoherently' during the call and 'did not sound well.' After he allegedly 'became lucid again,' Robinson said, ''I can't speak about this right now,' and ended the call. The Post has reached out to Robinson's rep for comment. 8 Smokey Robinson at SiriusXM Studios in NYC in April 2025. Getty Images 8 Smokey Robinson at the 2022 American Music Awards. AFP via Getty Images In court documents obtained by The Post, four women who allegedly worked as Robinson's housekeepers between 2012 and 2024 accused him of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence, hostile work environment, and more. His wife since 2002, Frances Robinson, was also named in the lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, Jane Doe 1 — who said she worked as a housekeeper for the couple from Jan. 3, 2023 until February 2024 — claimed she was sexually assaulted by Robinson at least seven (7) times' until her resignation. 8 Smokey Robinson and his wife Frances Gladney at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 32nd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party in March 2024. Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation Robinson, according to the accuser, would allegedly take his wife to the nail salon and hurry back 'knowing that he would be home alone' with her since she mainly worked on the weekends. During the alleged assaults, Robinson's accuser said he would 'rough penetrate her vagina with his fingers, orally copulate her and proceed to penetrate her vagina with his erect penis causing her great pain' and 'enjoyed ejaculating in her vagina without using a condom.' 8 Frances Gladney and Smokey Robinson at the Kentucky Derby 2023. Getty Images for Churchill Downs Jane Doe 2 said she was the Robinsons' housekeeper from May 2014 until February 2020. She claimed he assaulted her at least 23 different times during which he'd 'summon her to either the laundry room or garage, where there were no cameras' before allegedly penetrating her vagina with his fingers and 'then would proceed to rape her.' The second accuser further claimed that if she refused to have sex with him, the singer would threaten that he'd make Frances be 'mean' to her. The third accuser said she was Robinson's housekeeper from February 2012 until April 2024, and alleged she was 'sexually harassed, sexually assaulted and raped' by the musician 'at least 20 times.' 8 Smokey Robinson out in New York City in April 2025. GC Images Jane Doe 4 said that in addition to being hired as the couple's housekeeper, she also worked as Frances' personal assistant, cook and hairdresser from October 2006 until April 22, 2024. She claimed Robinson first sexually assaulted her in 2007 and raped her at his temporary residence in Bell Canyon, California in 2019. 8 Smokey Robinson performs in Wales in 2011. AFP via Getty Images The court docs claimed that Robinson 'never used a condom during the sexual assaults, ejaculating into JD4's vagina or withdrawing and ejaculating all over her body, much to his satisfaction and her abject humiliation.' All four accusers claimed they didn't report the alleged sexual assaults out of fear of losing their livelihood, public embarrassment, shame and humiliation. 8 Smokey Robinson and his wife, Frances Gladney, in 2016. AP They also alleged that Frances 'failed to take the appropriate corrective action to prevent' Robinson's alleged advances 'despite having full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct.' The former employees also claimed they were allegedly not paid overtime or given rest and lunch breaks.
