Latest news with #AQuietStorm
New York Times
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
After Allegations, Smokey Robinson Show Goes On as Planned
By the time Smokey Robinson performed 'Cruisin'' near the end of his concert at the Beau Rivage Theater on Friday night, the mutual admiration was in full display between the Motown icon and a revering audience of nearly 1,600 people, with no mention made of the sexual assault allegations levied against him this week. Mr. Robinson had long discarded the jacket from the sparkling green suit and the tie he had begun the night with. 'Do you know what you volunteered for?' he asked one woman he invited onstage. 'We'll be right back,' Mr. Robinson said when she answered that she had freely agreed to join him in front of the audience, and he took a few steps pretending to accompany her backstage. He then implored her to get the audience to sing 'Cruisin'' lyrics with them. Mr. Robinson, 85, smiled widely throughout a festive set, dancing suggestively while performing many of his landmark songs as part of a tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of his album 'A Quiet Storm' and the release of a new album, 'What the World Needs Now.' He proceeded with the concert just days after four women who worked as housekeepers for Mr. Robinson claimed in a lawsuit that he had repeatedly sexually abused them for years at his homes in California and Nevada. Three of the women did not report the allegations sooner over fear of their immigration status, the lawsuit states. The suit argues that Mr. Robinson created a hostile work environment and demanded they work long hours without receiving minimum wage. It also claims that Mr. Robinson's wife, Frances Robinson, knew of the assaults but did not to stop them. A lawyer for Mr. Robinson, Christopher Frost, said he would argue for the lawsuit's dismissal, calling it 'an ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon' in a statement to The New York Times. The women are only identified as Jane Does 1 through 4 in the lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday. 'We stand behind our four clients' truthful claims, which are neither false nor vile but clearly describe Mr. Robinson's despicable criminal acts,' their lawyer, John Harris, said in a statement on Tuesday. No mention of the lawsuit was made during Friday's show. Mr. Robinson received a rose from a spectator during the set. He paused to take a selfie with another audience member, doubling back when she said that she did not capture the photo the first time, and received an extended ovation at the end of the performance. Mr. Robinson starred in the Motown group the Miracles and performed many of the songs — 'The Tears of a Clown,' 'I Second That Emotion,' 'My Girl' and 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me' — he helped create that are threaded with some of the most endearing soul music ever created. Friday's performance included songs from 'Gasms,' his 2023 album of love songs. He interspersed the show with personal recollections of working in Motown and joked that Stevie Wonder had once been so motivated to collaborate that the blind musical pioneer had offered to drive him to the studio. Clara Mecum said that she had come to hear Mr. Robinson's songs and that the lawsuit did not affect her enjoyment. 'I paid over $100 to see him,' she said. 'I didn't care. I really love him.' Sandra Thames attended the performance with her son, David Rucker, after the pair drove three hours on a rainy afternoon. They relished the performance and the enthusiasm Mr. Robinson brought to the stage. 'That has no bearing on the show,' Ms. Thames said of the lawsuit. 'Whatever happened, if it happened, it'll come to the light, I believe.' Liz Moran, who had brought her mom to the show as a Mother's Day present, said she was unaware of the allegations, so they had no effect on her appreciation of the show. 'I liked all the oldies,' she said. 'I enjoyed it.' Mr. Robinson was enshrined as a solo artist in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and has been honored by the Recording Academy and the Kennedy Center. His next performance is scheduled for May 31 at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, N.Y.
Sydney Morning Herald
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Motown star Smokey Robinson accused of sexual assault by former housekeepers
Motown star Smokey Robinson is being sued over allegations of sexual assault and battery, as well as workplace negligence, by four women who worked for him as housekeepers at his California home. The lawsuit, which was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, also included allegations of false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment. It also named his wife, Frances Robinson, as a defendant. The women, who identified themselves as Jane Does to protect their privacy, seek a trial and $50 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges sexual assault incidents and hostile work environment situations that took place from 2007 until April 2024 when the women were employed at Robinson's home in the Chatsworth neighbourhood of Los Angeles. One woman alleged she was also raped at other Robinson homes, in the Bell Canyon neighbourhood of Los Angeles and in Las Vegas. Among several accusations, the women accused Robinson, 85, of ordering them to his bedroom or other areas of his property, where he would allegedly sexually assault or rape them. 'Defendants' conduct was outrageous, despicable, and intolerable in a civilised society,' the complaint said. The lawsuit comes as Robinson, a legendary singer, songwriter, producer and music executive, has been touring to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his album A Quiet Storm. Representatives for Smokey and Frances Robinson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The unnamed women accused Robinson, also known as William Robinson Jr., of touching their 'entire bodies, including their vaginas, breasts, legs, abdomen, lips, and face,' while they did not consent to 'sexual contact or touching,' according to the complaint. According to the lawsuit, three of the women alleged Robinson performed a 'ritual' before each encounter in which he summoned or forced them into his bedroom while he was naked or clothed only in his underwear, then laid out a towel on the bed. 'Plaintiffs explicitly told Defendant Robinson on numerous occasions that they were not interested in his advances and objected to his forceful, physical, sexual, and harmful conduct,' the lawsuit alleges.
The Age
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Motown star Smokey Robinson accused of sexual assault by former housekeepers
Motown star Smokey Robinson is being sued over allegations of sexual assault and battery, as well as workplace negligence, by four women who worked for him as housekeepers at his California home. The lawsuit, which was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday, also included allegations of false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment. It also named his wife, Frances Robinson, as a defendant. The women, who identified themselves as Jane Does to protect their privacy, seek a trial and $50 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges sexual assault incidents and hostile work environment situations that took place from 2007 until April 2024 when the women were employed at Robinson's home in the Chatsworth neighbourhood of Los Angeles. One woman alleged she was also raped at other Robinson homes, in the Bell Canyon neighbourhood of Los Angeles and in Las Vegas. Among several accusations, the women accused Robinson, 85, of ordering them to his bedroom or other areas of his property, where he would allegedly sexually assault or rape them. 'Defendants' conduct was outrageous, despicable, and intolerable in a civilised society,' the complaint said. The lawsuit comes as Robinson, a legendary singer, songwriter, producer and music executive, has been touring to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his album A Quiet Storm. Representatives for Smokey and Frances Robinson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The unnamed women accused Robinson, also known as William Robinson Jr., of touching their 'entire bodies, including their vaginas, breasts, legs, abdomen, lips, and face,' while they did not consent to 'sexual contact or touching,' according to the complaint. According to the lawsuit, three of the women alleged Robinson performed a 'ritual' before each encounter in which he summoned or forced them into his bedroom while he was naked or clothed only in his underwear, then laid out a towel on the bed. 'Plaintiffs explicitly told Defendant Robinson on numerous occasions that they were not interested in his advances and objected to his forceful, physical, sexual, and harmful conduct,' the lawsuit alleges.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Smokey Robinson, 85, is accused of SEXUAL BATTERY by former workers in bombshell lawsuit
Iconic singer Smokey Robinson has been hit with a slew of sickening allegations including rape, sexual battery, and false imprisonment in a bombshell lawsuit from his former employees. The 85-year-old R&B star, whose real name is William Robinson Jr., is alleged to have created a hostile work environment, with his wife Frances Robinson also named in the legal document filed in California Superior Court on Tuesday. The accusations include assault and gender violence, with four female former housekeepers claiming the singer would systematically target them around his Chatsworth, Los Angeles mansion, between 2007 and 2024. The complainants are suing for at least $50 million in damages for each of 11 allegations listed in the 27-page document seen by They claim Robinson would order them to his bedroom or to rooms in the property where he knew surveillance cameras would not find them, before placing a towel on his bed and allegedly raping and 'humiliating' them. His wife Frances is accused of failing to step in despite knowledge of her husband's alleged depravity, including being driven to a nail salon so he could be 'home alone' with one of his accusers every Saturday. Robinson has been on tour to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of his hit soul album A Quiet Storm, and is set to perform hours after the press conference in Huntington, New York on Tuesday night. The singer has not responded to news of the lawsuit, and his company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The four plaintiffs who are suing Robinson have chosen to remain nameless and are referred to only as Jane Doe in the filings. One of the plaintiffs alleged that Robinson sexually assaulted her several times in his mansion beginning in 2016. 'He would summon her to either the laundry room or garage, where there were no cameras,' the lawsuit claims. The accuser said that Robinson raped her 'without a condom' at least 23 times. She gave graphic details, including claims that the singer would 'enjoy ejaculating all over (her) face'. He would then threaten her by saying his wife would be 'mean' to her if she didn't comply, the lawsuit states. The same complainant alleges that Frances also 'perpetuated a hostile work environment by regularly screaming at (her) in a hostile manner' and by 'using ethnically pejorative words and language'. 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. He would allegedly summon her to his blue bedroom, escort the dog, Shilo, out of the room, before locking the door and attacking her on his bed, 'causing her great pain'. The housekeeper said she would try to 'resist his sexual assaults' but could not. In one desperate attempt to shake him off, she shouted 'you're married' to the singer, but she said he would 'casually ignore' this. She said this occurred at least seven times, forcing her to stop working for Robinson in February 2024. She also claimed that the singer and his wife 'failed to pay minimum wage or overtime wages.' 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 housekeeper also accuses Frances of failing 'to take the appropriate corrective action to prevent Smokey Robinson's deviant misconduct'. She said this came despite his wife 'having full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct, having settled cases with other women that suffered and experienced similar sexual assaults perpetuated by him'. 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 comes just weeks after Robinson released his latest album 'What The World Needs Now' on April 25. When he announced the release of the album last month, Robinson told CBS Mornings: 'I want people to be inspired to care about each other and to love each other.' When asked about the legacy he hoped to leave as he embarked on his A Quiet Storm tour, he told the broadcaster he hoped it would be that he 'was a good human being.' '(One) who recognized the fact that you don't get any bigger than being a human being. I don't care what your craft is, or what you do for your living and all that... So, I hope that that's my legacy.'
