Smokey Robinson Sued for Sexual Assault by Four Former Employees

Smokey Robinson has been accused of sexual assault by four former employees in a lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, May 6th.

In the complaint, the 85-year-old singer and former Motown Records executive is accused of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence, and creating a hostile work environment. Robinson’s wife, Frances Robinson, is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

All four plaintiffs, identified as Jane Does, previously worked as housekeepers for Robinson and his wife. As reported by KTLA, the lawsuit accuses Robinson of forcing himself on their “entire bodies, including their vaginas, breasts, legs, abdomen, lips, and face” and claims they did not consent to his “sexual contact or touching.”

“Plaintiffs explicitly told Defendant Robinson on numerous occasions that they were not interested in his advances and objected to his forceful, physical, sexual, and harmful conduct,” the complaint reads.

Robinson’s wife is named in the lawsuit for allegedly failing to prevent his actions despite “having full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct, having settled cases with other women that suffered and experienced similar sexual assaults perpetuated by him.”

The plaintiffs also allege Frances Robinson “perpetuated a hostile work environment by regularly screaming at them separately in a hostile manner, using ethnically pejorative words and language.”

In addition, the women claim the couple failed to compensate them fairly, alleging they were not paid minimum wage or overtime for work exceeding eight hours a day. The Jane Does also alleged they worked holidays without receiving appropriate additional pay.

According to the complaint, each plaintiff was afraid to report Robinson to the police due to fear of losing their jobs and reprisal against themselves and their families. The women are seeking damages of no less than $50 million.

If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual misconduct, you can reach out for support:

RAINN Hotline
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
http://www.rainn.org

Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)