Four women accuse Motown icon Smokey Robinson of sexual abuse in $50 million lawsuit

Four former housekeepers on Tuesday filed a massive $50 million lawsuit against famed Motown singer Smokey Robinson, accusing him of sexually abusing them over the course of nearly two decades.

The women, who have only been identified as Jane Does 1-4, claimed the abuse primarily occurred at the star's home in Chatsworth, California, located north of downtown Los Angeles. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

An attorney for the four former employees, John Harris, said the $50 million in damages was not enough to truly compensate his clients, but is warranted given the seriousness of the allegations, NBC News reported.

“Obviously, no amount can compensate these women for what Mr. Robinson subjected them to,” Harris said.

The first sexual assault allegation dates back to 2007, which Jane Doe 4 claimed took place at Robinson's Las Vegas residence. He also allegedly raped her a decade later at a temporary home in Bell Canyon and at his home in Chatsworth. 

“When the other housekeeper(s) would leave the residence, Defendant Smokey Robinson would summon her to his blue bedroom while sitting naked on his bed,” the suit claims. “He would then 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.” 

Another plaintiff accused Robinson of sexually assaulting her 23 times between May 2014 and February 2020. A third former employee said she was sexually assaulted at least 20 times during her 12-years of employment that ended last year.

The fourth alleged she was assaulted seven times during the 13 months she worked for the defendant. 

“In a desperate attempt to stop his sexual assaults,” the suit says of this plaintiff, “she would proclaim ‘you’re married.’” 

The plaintiffs also named Robinson's wife Frances in the suit, claiming she created a hostile work environment and had "full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct" and "failed to take the appropriate corrective action."

Harris said the four women were all similar in that they 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," he said.

The women said they did not previously report the alleged abuse to law enforcement because of “fear of losing livelihood, familial reprisal, public embarrassment, and shame and humiliation to [them] and [their] family," per Billboard. 

Some of the women were also reportedly concerned about the possible adverse effect on their immigration status if they reported the crimes.

Robinson has not commented on the allegations so far.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.