Smokey Robinson denies claims of sexual assault

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An attorney for Smokey Robinson on Wednesday called accusations of sexual assault against the Motown legend false and said that the “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” singer will respond in the coming days.

Four former housekeepers of Robinson's in a lawsuit filed Tuesday accused him of sexually assaulting them, which was alleged to have gone on for years. The lawsuit seeks no less than $50 million in damages.

Robinson's attorney, Christopher Frost, in a statement late Wednesday called the lawsuit "simply an ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon."

"Through this process we have seen the bizarre theatrics of yesterday’s news conference, as the plaintiffs’ attorneys outlined vile, false allegations against Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, trying to enlist the public as an unwitting participant in the media circus they are trying to create," Frost said in the statement.

Frost also said that "in time Mr. Robinson will respond in his own words."

The lawsuit filed against Robinson in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleged that the assaults largely occurred at Robinson’s home in Chatsworth, a Los Angeles neighborhood in the far northwestern section of the city.

The women who sued are identified in the lawsuit as Jane Does 1-4. Three of them appeared Tuesday at a news conference in Los Angeles wearing masks, and a fourth appeared virtually.

One of their attorneys, John Harris, said at that event that the women “were Hispanic women employed as housekeepers earning below minimum wage."

"As low-wage workers in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options to protect themselves," Harris said.

The suit alleges that Robinson assaulted one woman at least 23 times from May 2014 to February 2020, often in places in his home without security cameras.

The suit alleges that he assaulted another former employee at least 20 times during the 12 years she worked for him, beginning in 2012. According to the suit, Robinson would force her into his bedroom and perform a “ritual” of leaving his bathroom naked or nearly naked.

According to the suit, Robinson would then place a towel on his bed so the linens would not be soiled “for what was about to occur.”

The suit says he subjected two other plaintiffs to the same behavior. One of the former housekeepers worked for Robinson for 13 months, during which, she alleges, he assaulted her at least seven times.

All of the plaintiffs accused Robinson's wife, Frances Robinson, who is also named as a defendant, of perpetuating a hostile work environment by screaming at them and using ethnically pejorative language.

Robinson was a pioneer for Motown Records, founding the vocal group the Miracles in the 1950s and later releasing albums as a solo artist and working as a record executive for the label. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Frost, Robinson's lawyer, said they will seek to have the lawsuit dismissed. He also criticized the lawyers for the women over the press conference, saying that they "have reached beyond the bounds of liberties that even lawyers are typically allowed in this context."

He's 85 years old. Not sure how long he'll survive beyond any possibility of prosecution?

Its horrible to imagine how much these poor women put up with his assaults - one woman endured it for 12 years. Robinson picked on these women because they were likely undocumented, being paid below minimum wage and needed the work.

They're currently just allegations. I would have thought that after the various cases where the allegations were false that people would have a bit more consideration for the fact that anybody can make an allegation, it doesn't mean that it's actually true.

I'm not sure how we got to this place where it's OK to just assume allegations are true became acceptable. The accusers have a right to file a suit, they'd have a right to file a criminal complaint as well. But, that is not at all the same thing as there having been something that he's guilty of. Either way, it should come out in court if it's not settled.

Iconic soul singer Smokey Robinson, who was accused of sexually assaulting four former housekeepers for years in a lawsuit filed earlier this month, is under criminal investigation, a law enforcement official said Thursday.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the investigation is in its early stages and declined further comment.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the investigation, first reported by TMZ, is linked to the lawsuit.

"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," John Harris and Herbert Hayden said in a statement.

An attorney for Robinson, whose real name is William Robinson Jr., said he welcomes the investigation and feels "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."

"The record will ultimately demonstrate that this is nothing more than a manufactured lawsuit intended to tarnish the good names of Smokey and Frances Robinson for no other reason than unadulterated avarice," said the lawyer, Christopher Frost, referring to Robinson's wife.

Motown legend Smokey Robinson filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging defamation by four former housekeepers who accused him in a lawsuit this month of sexual assault and abuse.

Lawyers for Robinson also filed a motion in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking to have the complaint against him dismissed, arguing that it was filed under false names.

Robinson’s lawsuit against the four women who have accused him says that they were treated in a “collegial, even familial, manner” and that they never alleged any abuse while they were employed.

They first demanded $100 million before they sued, attorneys for Robinson wrote in the cross-complaint.

“When the Robinsons resisted the extortionate demands, Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit,” says the lawsuit filed by Robinsons' attorney, Christopher Frost. It also alleges that subsequent public statements made against the Robinsons were false.

“Plaintiffs did not have the right to create a media circus of a press conference, and use that platform to slander the Robinsons,” the suit reads.