Smokey Robinson has been accused of sexual assault. The 85-year-old musician who's also known as Mr. Motown is facing a $50 million lawsuit from four women who claim to be his former housekeepers, and they're alleging sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence, hostile work environment, and more.
Per The Post, the women say they worked for Robinson between 2012 and 2024. His wife Frances is also named in the suit. In documents obtained by The Post, Jane Doe 1 says she worked for the couple from Jan. 3, 2023 until February 2024. The first alleged sexual assault happened in March 2023 and occurred “at least seven (7) times” until she resigned.
Jane Doe 1 claims Robinson would take Frances to the nail salon and rush back “knowing that he would be home alone” with her since she mainly worked on the weekends. She alleged, “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.”
He would allegedly “roughly 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.”
Jane Doe 2 claims she worked for the couple from May 2014 until February 2020 and was assaulted by the singer at least 23 different times. She described his advances as “brutal,” “constant,” and “predictable,” alleging he would “summon her to either the laundry room or garage, where there were no cameras” before penetrating her vagina with his fingers and “then would proceed to rape her.” She also claims she was “forced her into his blue bedroom,” where she “would perform oral sex on him,” and Robinson would “forcibly penetrate her with his erect penis without using a condom.” She alleges that if she said no to him, he would threaten that he’d make Frances be "mean" to her.
Jane Doe 3 says she worked for them from February 2012 until April 2024 and was “sexually harassed, sexually assaulted and raped” by him “at least 20 times.” The lawsuit reads:
Defendant Smokey Robinson would force her into his blue bedroom, whereafter he would perform his ritual of exiting his bathroom nude or wearing only underwear after showering, and then carefully placing a towel on his bed not to soil the linens for what was about to occur. He would then disrobe JD3 and then orally copulate her. Then he would force her to lie face down on the towel so that he could penetrate her vagina with his erect penis from the rear.
She claims that when she rejected him on one occasion, he offered her “$500 to allow him to orally copulate her, an offer she refused.” She added that he would make unwanted advances against her such as “touching her breasts, vagina and kissing her on her neck and on her mouth.”
Jane Doe 4 says she was not just a housekeeper for the couple but also served as Frances’ personal assistant, cook, and hairdresser from October 2006 until April 22, 2024. The lawsuit reads, “Robinson first sexually assaulted her in 2007 when she accompanied him to his Las Vegas home. While there and alone with him, Defendant Smokey Robinson forced her into his bedroom and raped her." She also alleges Robinson raped her at his temporary residence in Bell Canyon, California.
She claims he would “summon her to his blue bedroom” at his main residence, “lock the door and place a towel down on the bed. After doing so, he would pull JD4’s clothes off, and against her protestations, push her down on the bed and proceed to rape her.”
The accusers maintained anonymity out of fear of losing their livelihood, public embarrassment, shame, and humiliation. They claimed they included Frances in the lawsuit because she “failed to take the appropriate corrective action to prevent” Robinson’s alleged advances “despite having full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct.” They added that they were not paid overtime or given rest and lunch breaks.
If you or someone you know is undergoing sexual abuse, please visit rainn.org or contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-4673.
