Four women have recently come forward and accused singer and producer Smokey Robinson of sexually harassing and repeatedly assaulting them while they worked as housekeepers for the Motown icon and his wife at various times going back to 2007.
“We’re seeking damages of $50 million. Obviously, no amount of money can compensate these women for what Mr. Robinson subjected them to, but given the gravity of Mr. Robinson’s despicable and reprehensible misconduct, that is further detailed in the complaint, this amount is clearly warranted,” lawyer John W. Harris said at a press conference attended by the women Tuesday.
The Lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe 1, alleges Robinson sexually battered her at least seven times between January 2023 and February 2024. She claims Robinson would take his wife out, rush home, and then lure her into his “blue bedroom,” where he would lock the door and place a white towel on his bed so he wouldn’t “soil the bed lines.” The woman alleges Robinson ignored her resistance to his advances and would “roughly penetrate” her. “She quit in February 2024 because she could no longer endure these sexual assaults,” Harris said.
Jane Doe 2 alleges she worked for Robinson and his wife between May 2014 and February 2020. She claims Robinson forced her into unwanted sexual acts on at least 23 occasions. She says Robinson would force her to perform oral sex on him before he penetrated her without using a condom. She claims he “enjoyed ejaculating all over [her] face, much to his satisfaction and her abject humiliation.”
Jane Doe 3 alleges Robinson “repeatedly sexually harassed, sexually assaulted… [her] during most of her entire employment” between February 2012 and April 2024, according to the official complaint.
Jane Doe 4 reports that she began her employment with Robinson and his wife in 2006, but was compelled to resign in April 2024 because of alleged abuse. She asserts that Robinson initially sexually assaulted her in 2007 during a visit to his Las Vegas residence.
“He would pull [Jane Doe 4’s] clothes off, and against her protestations, push her down on the bed” and proceed to assault her, the 27-page lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone states. “Defendant Smokey Robinson never used a condom during the sexual assaults, ejaculating into [her] vagina or withdrawing and ejaculating all over her body, much to his satisfaction and her abject humiliation.”
Bringing the Charges to Light
Three of the Jane Does indicated that they hesitated to report the alleged abuse due to fear of job loss and potential negative consequences for their immigration status. The lawsuit claims they felt “intimidated” by Robinson’s “well-recognized celebrity status and his influential friends and associates.”
According to the complaint, Robinson’s wife, Frances, “failed to take the appropriate corrective action to prevent defendant Smokey Robinson’s deviant misconduct,” despite allegedly “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.”
