Four housekeepers file sexual assault accusations against Motown icon Smokey Robinson in a lawsuit.
In a shocking turn of events, Smokey Robinson, once a Motown legend, now finds himself at the center of a sexual assault scandal. Four former housekeepers, identified as Jane Does 1-4, have accused the music icon of repeated abuse over the years, filing a hefty $50 million lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The lawsuit, shockwaves from which rolled out on Tuesday, alleges that the majority of these reprehensible acts occurred at Smokey's Chatsworth, California home, northwest of downtown L.A.
The women, protected by masks to shield their privacy, bravely shared their stories at a press conference in L.A. A fourth attended remotely. Their lawyer, John Harris, stated that these women were low-wage Hispanic workers who lacked the resources and means to protect themselves. Fear of losing their paychecks had kept them from coming forward earlier.
The allegations paint a harrowing picture. One woman claims Robinson assaulted her at least 23 times from May 2014 to February 2020, often in places without security cameras. Another former employee alleges Robinson assaulted her at least 20 times during her 12-year tenure, starting in 2012. According to the suit, he imposed a ritualistic behavior, leaving his bathroom naked or nearly naked, before committing the assaults.
The lawsuit also accuses Robinson of ignoring pleas to stop and threatening his wife Frances, who is also named as a defendant, to be mean to the housekeeper if she refused his advances.
The women claim they did not report the incidents to authorities due to fear of reprisal, public embarrassment, and potential adverse effects on their immigration statuses.
Robinson, a pioneer for Motown Records, founded the vocal group the Miracles in the 1950s and later released albums as a solo artist and worked as a record executive for the label. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
In addition to the accusations against Smokey Robinson, the lawsuit also alleges that Frances Robinson created a hostile work environment through verbal abuse and ethnically pejorative language. Another former housekeeper who later worked as Frances' personal assistant, cook, and hairdresser, accuses Smokey of assaulting her in 2007 at his Las Vegas home, with further incidences occurring at their home in Chatsworth.
The lawsuit is a grim reminder of the power dynamics that often go unchecked in the industry and the long-standing struggle of low-wage workers, especially in vulnerable positions, to come forward against such abuses.
- Jane does 1-4, the former housekeepers accusing Smokey Robinson of repeated sexual assault, allege that the majority of these acts occurred at his Chatsworth, California home.
- According to their attorney, John Harris, the women, who were low-wage Hispanic workers, feared losing their paychecks and held back from coming forward earlier due to the power dynamics within the industry.
- The lawsuit accuses Smokey Robinson of ignoring pleas to stop and threatening his wife, Frances Robinson, to be mean to the housekeepers if they refused his advances.
- The lawsuit also alleges that Frances Robinson created a hostile work environment through verbal abuse and ethnically pejorative language, and another former housekeeper accuses Smokey of assaulting her in 2007 at his Las Vegas home.
