WARNING: This story include details of alleged sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who’s been impacted by it.
Four former housekeepers of Smokey Robinson allege in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Motown music luminary repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped them while they worked for him.
The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least $50 million US in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024, and labour violations, including a hostile work environment, illegally long hours and lack of pay.
A message seeking comment from a representative for the 85-year-old Robinson was not immediately answered.
The four women each say that Robinson would wait until he was alone with them in his Los Angeles house, then sexually assault and rape them over their objections.
“We believe that Mr. Robinson is a serial and sick rapist, and must be stopped,” the women’s lawyer, John Harris, said at a news conference.
All said they eventually quit over the assaults, though in some cases it took several years. And all said they feared coming forward over fears of retaliation, public shame and possible effects on their immigration status.
“Having to tell their husband and children of these despicable actions left them filled with shame and embarrassment,” Harris said. “So throughout their dreadful experiences with Mr. Robinson, all four women remained silent.”
He said as low-wage earners, they also all feared “missing a payday, and not being able to afford rent or buy food for their families.”
All four women withheld their legal names, citing privacy concerns, and are identified as Jane Does in court documents. They appeared at the news conference with their lawyers, but did not speak and covered their faces with masks.
One woman said she worked for Robinson and his wife, Frances, from 2012 until 2024, and was assaulted at least 20 times in that span. Another said she worked for them from 2014 until 2020, and was assaulted at least 23 times. Another said she worked for them for a year before quitting in 2024 and was assaulted at least seven times. The fourth woman, who said she also acted as Frances Robinson’s personal assistant, hairdresser and cook, worked for them for 18 years before resigning in 2024. She cited similar experiences to the other women, but did not say how often she was assaulted.
Wife also named in suit
The women, some of whom worked for the Robinsons at the same time as each other, also kept stories of the assaults from one another, but are now bonding over their experience, the lawyers said.
They declined to give details at the news conference about how they came forward and learned there were others.
The lawsuit also names Robinson’s wife as a defendant, alleging that she enabled his behaviour despite knowing about past sexual misconduct. It also blames her for the hostile work environment, saying she berated them with language that included ethnic slurs.
The suit seeks damages based on sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and other allegations.
“Obviously, no amount of money can compensate these women for what Mr. Robinson put them through,” Harris said. But he said the $50 million was warranted “based on the gravity of Mr. Robinson’s despicable and reprehensible misconduct.”
Herbert Hayden, another lawyer for the plaintiffs, said that while they felt the assaults are worthy of criminal investigation, the women have not filed police reports, based on the same fears that kept them from coming forward.
Born William Robinson, the singer began performing as a teen in his hometown of Detroit and eventually met Berry Gordy Jr., who would form Motown Records. Robinson was an integral part of the label as artist, producer and songwriter, scoring hits such as Shop Around, The Tracks of My Tears and The Tears of a Clown with his group The Miracles, while helping to write My Girl by The Temptations and Ain’t That Peculiar by Marvin Gaye, among other hits.
He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, receiving the Gershwin Prize in 2016 for lifetime contributions to music.
Robinson released his latest album two weeks ago, What The World Needs Now, and is set to resume touring on Friday in Biloxi, Miss., with concert dates scheduled through September in both the U.S. and U.K.
