Motown icon Smokey Robinson faces serious legal trouble following a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday.
Four former housekeepers, identified as Jane Does 1 through 4, allege that the 85-year-old singer subjected them to repeated sexual assaults and created a hostile work environment over nearly two decades.
The lawsuit seeks $50 million in damages and names Robinson’s wife, Frances Robinson, alleging she “failed to take the appropriate corrective action to prevent Defendant Smokey Robinson’s deviant misconduct.”
According to the complaint, the women, who are all Hispanic and were employed at below minimum wage, claim that Robinson used his celebrity status to intimidate and control them, leading to instances of sexual battery, false imprisonment, and gender violence.
Jane Doe 1, who claims she was forced to resign in early 2024 after the Motown icon allegedly sexually assaulted her at least seven times during her year-long employment. According to court docs, Robinson allegedly lured her into his “blue bedroom,” stripped down to his underwear, laid a towel on the bed, and assaulted her, something he reportedly did with all four women. JD1 says she stayed silent out of fear for her livelihood, his industry power and her fear of potentially being deported.
Jane Doe 2, employed since 2016, claims the “Tracks of My Tears” singer raped her over 20 times in camera-free areas of his home, threatening her with retaliation from his wife, Frances Robinson, if she refused. JD3 says she was raped “repeatedly” between 2012 and 2024…once allegedly offered $500 to let him perform oral sex. JD4, who started in 2006 as a housekeeper and personal assistant, says the abuse began in 2007 at Smokey’s Vegas residence.
No criminal charges have been filed, and representatives for the Robinsons have not publicly responded to the allegations.
