NOTE: The following article contains disturbing details of sexual assault. Please read at your own discretion.
Music legend Smokey Robinson is suing four of his former employees for defamation after they filed a lawsuit against the singer in early May accusing him of sexual assault and rape.
Robinson and his wife, Frances Gladney, countersued the group of housekeepers in Los Angeles on Wednesday, accusing the women of false claims of sexual assault as part of an “extortionate” lawsuit.
The Motown legend’s accusers say they were afraid to come forward until now over fears of losing their livelihoods and immigration status — all four plaintiffs are immigrants of Hispanic descent.
Smokey Robinson and Frances Gladney attend the 66th Grammy Awards Pre-Grammy gala in Los Angeles.
Amy Sussman / Getty Images
The accusers, who filed their anonymous suit in Los Angeles Superior Court, are seeking at least US$50 million in damages. The women say they experienced abuse between 2007 and 2024, and labour violations including a hostile work environment, illegally long hours and lack of pay.
The singer has denied the allegations and is currently under investigation for sexual assault. His lawyers argue that the complainants are after his money.
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The couple claims that the women accompanied them on family vacations and celebrated holidays together.
“The Robinsons did not abuse, harm, or take advantage of plaintiffs; they treated plaintiffs with the utmost kindness and generosity,” their lawsuit states.
Robinson’s lawyers have also filed a motion to dismiss the accusers’ lawsuit on the basis that they should not have been granted anonymity.
The accusers filed on May 6 as Jane Doe 1, 2, 3 and 4.
The lengthy legal document refers to at least 50 separate alleged incidents of rape, dating back almost two decades, where Robinson is accused of forcing his former staff into sex.
American singer Smokey Robinson performs onstage at the Holiday Star Theater, Merrillville, Ind., July 28, 1982.
Paul Natkin / Getty Images
Jane Doe 1, who was hired in January 2023, claimed she was left with no choice but to resign in February 2024 after experiencing numerous assaults.
According to the filing, she would work by herself at the family home on weekends. On Saturdays, Robinson would take his wife to the nail salon and then rush home to be alone with Jane Doe 1.
“Upon returning home, Defendant Smokey Robinson would call her into his blue bedroom, lock the door and escort their dog Shilo out of the room. He will have showered and clothed only in his underwear. He would then neatly place a white towel on his bed, not to soil the bed linens, in preparation for what was about to occur,” the lawsuit states, adding that he would “roughly penetrate” her, causing “great pain.”
The plaintiff says she protested and attempted to escape his assaults, to no avail. According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe 1 was assaulted in such a manner at least seven times.
Similarly, Jane Doe 2 resigned from her position in 2020, following years of alleged assaults that she says started in 2016.
The filing says Robinson began summoning her via text message to areas of his residence not under security camera surveillance, including the garage, the laundry room and his blue bedroom, where he would force himself upon her and rape her, allegedly on 23 occasions.
If Jane Doe 2 protested, Robinson would threaten her, saying he would get his wife to “be mean” to her, the filing states, adding that his wife had knowledge of the abuse and failed to act.
Jane Doe 3, who worked for the Robinsons for 12 years from 2012 until 2024, when she resigned, claims to have been sexually assaulted by the musician for almost the entirety of her tenure. On one occasion, he offered her $500 in exchange for oral sex, a proposition she says she refused, according to court documents. She claims to have been raped by Robinson at least 20 times.
Jane Doe 4 says she was forced to resign in 2024, having worked for the family since 2006, due to repeated sexual assaults by Robinson, including rape and daily harassment.
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.
— With files from The Associated Press
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