Former housekeepers accuse Smokey Robinson of rape, sexual battery

Four women are accusing R&B legend Smokey Robinson of sexual battery, rape and other offenses in a complaint for damages filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court Tuesday.

The complaint says the four, unnamed women were housekeepers of the Robinsons at the time of the alleged misconduct. Robinson’s wife Frances Robinson is also named.

The complaint alleges that Jane Doe 1, who was a housekeeper for the Robinsons from January 2023 to February 2024, was forced to resign due to Smokey Robinson’s “repeated sexual assaults and sexual harassment against her.” The other women are also alleging multiple sexual assaults, stretching back to at least 2007.

The plaintiffs are represented by the law firm Harris & Hayden. The complaint says the women are also accusing the Robinsons of false imprisonment, emotional distress and gender violence, as well as illegal working conditions.

NPR has not yet received a response from Robinson’s representatives.

At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, attorney John Harris called Smokey Robinson a “serial assaulter” and said the women kept quiet about the alleged misconduct out of fear, because they were low-wage workers “living paycheck to paycheck” and were “intimidated” by Robinson’s celebrity. He also said the women were threatened, but did not specify the nature of the threats. The women are also being represented by Herbert Hayden.

The women’s attorneys are seeking a total of $50 million in damages. They say the women have not yet filed police reports.

As the former frontman of The Miracles, Robinson, who is 85, is responsible for some of Motown’s biggest hits including “The Tears of a Clown” and “I Second That Emotion.” Robinson eventually became Motown Records’ vice president.

Jennifer Vanasco edited this story.