CNN
—
Motown singing legend Smokey Robinson has been accused of sexual assault by four women who used to work for him, according to a workplace harassment complaint filed Tuesday at a Los Angeles courthouse.
The complaint obtained by CNN details allegations from the unnamed women, who say they worked as housekeepers for Robinson and his wife at various times from 2006 to 2024. Each said she resigned because of Robinson’s “repeated sexual assaults and sexual harassment.”
The complaint states the women were “unwilling” to report Robinson’s alleged actions to authorities due to fear of losing their livelihoods and public embarrassment, as well as “being threatened and intimidated” by his celebrity status and the influential people around him. Three of the four women also worried about “the possible adverse effect on her immigration status,” the complaint added.
In addition to the sexual assault allegations, the women are seeking at least $50 million in total damages for alleged actions including emotional distress, gender violence, hostile work environment and several labor violations.
CNN has reached out to Robinson’s representatives for comment.
John Harris, an attorney for the plaintiffs, on Tuesday said during a news conference that the women – referred to in the filing as Jane Does 1-4 – decided to sue to “stand up for their rights, as well as the rights of other women.” Harris added that the four plaintiffs “want and demand justice for themselves” and that the filing of the lawsuit “is the first step of their journey to achieve that objective.”
One of the Jane Does alleges she was sexually assaulted at least seven times between 2023 and 2024 while she worked as a housekeeper at Robinson’s residence in the LA neighborhood of Chatsworth. The complaint alleges the assaults often took place on Saturdays after Robinson would take his wife to the nail salon and would “rush home, knowing that he would be home alone with” the plaintiff.
Jane Doe 2 accuses Robinson of raping or sexually assaulting her at his home in Chatsworth on at least 23 occasions between 2016 and 2020, while she was employed there as a housekeeper. The complaint states Robinson would “summon her to either the laundry room or garage, where there were no cameras” before the alleged assaults would take place.
The third Jane Doe alleges Robinson “repeatedly sexually harassed, sexually assaulted and raped” her throughout most of her employment as a housekeeper in Robinson’s Chatsworth home between 2012 and 2024. She alleges in the complaint that he raped her at least 20 times. The complaint alleges that on one occasion when the plaintiff resisted his advances, Robinson “offered (her) $500 to allow him to orally copulate her, an offer she refused.”
Jane Doe 4 is identified as a former housekeeper who was also his wife’s personal assistant, cook and hairdresser between 2006 and 2024. According to the complaint, Robinson raped her in his Las Vegas home in 2007. Jane Doe 4 alleges that Robinson also raped her at his Chatsworth and Bell Canyon homes.
The complaint states that the plaintiffs “did not consent to Defendant Smokey Robinson’s sexual contact or touching” and suffered “severe emotional distress” as a result of the repeated sexual assaults.
Robinson’s wife, Frances Robinson, is named as a co-defendant.
The complaint accuses Frances Robinson of failing “to take the appropriate corrective action to prevent Defendant Smokey Robinson’s deviant misconduct” against the plaintiffs and perpetuating a hostile work environment by “screaming” and “using ethnically pejorative words and language.”
All four plaintiffs also accuse the Robinsons of failing to pay minimum wage or overtime wages, and that they did not provide rest or lunch breaks while they were on the clock.
They are seeking at least $50 million in damages, as well as punitive damages to be determined at trial.
Smokey Robinson, 85, is a singer, songwriter and record producer whose career as a leading voice in Motown and R&B began in the 1960s.
He is best known for songs including “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “I Second that Emotion” and “Tears of a Clown” that he released with his first group The Miracles. He’s also written songs for artists including Marvin Gaye, the Temptations and many others and served as the Vice President of Motown Records.
Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and was recognized by the Recording Academy with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
