What are the allegations against Smokey Robinson? Singer and his wife sued by former housekeepers for assault and battery
R&B legend Smokey Robinson is facing several allegations from four women who previously worked for him and his wife as housekeepers. According to the complaint filed on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, four former housekeepers accused Robinson of s*xual battery, r*pe, and other offenses, including shorting them on wages.
Besides alleging that the singer cut their wages, the women also accused him of denying them rest periods and meal breaks. According to CBS News on May 6, the allegations listed in the lawsuit against Smokey Robinson include s*xual battery, assault, gender violence, false imprisonment, and various workplace violations.
The civil lawsuit against the singer also named the Motown legend's wife, Frances Robinson. It alleges that she knew what her husband had been doing to their house helpers but never intervened to stop it. The four women were unnamed, only identified as Jane Does 1-4, and they alleged that the singer took advantage of them in certain parts of his home in Chatsworth in Southern California.
They further alleged that he chose areas in his home where there were no closed-circuit cameras, reveled in humiliating them during the assault, and even refused to wear protection.
Four former employees detail Smokey Robinson's alleged s*xual assault in new lawsuit
The women kept their identities private in the lawsuit. However, they detailed some of the instances of Smokey Robinson's alleged assault. Jane Doe 1's case involves a more recent incident, as per her complaint, she started working for Robinson and his wife at their Chatsworth residence in January 2023.
According to her accounts, the singer allegedly committed his first s*xual assault against her in March that same year, on a "typical Saturday" after rushing home from dropping his wife off at the nail salon. She further alleged that the s*xual assault happened at least seven times during her 13 months of employment, including the incident in his "blue bedroom," until she decided to quit.
Jane Doe 2 detailed her employment in Smokey Robinson's home, dating from 2014 to 2020. She said in her complaint that the assault started two years after her employment, describing the Motown legend's actions as "brutal s*xual advances" that she alleged were "constant and even predictable throughout her employment." She further alleged that the assault happened to her at least 23 times.
The third complainant, Jane Doe 3, endured the same s*xual abuse during her tenure at the singer's Chatsworth residence between 2012 and 2024. Robinson allegedly r*ped her "at least 20 times." Meanwhile, Jane Doe 4 detailed s*xual assault allegations dating back to 2007, a year after she was employed as Frances' personal assistant, cook, and hairdresser.
The fourth complainant alleged that Robinson's abuse occurred in several of his residences, the first one being in his home in Las Vegas and another one in his Bell Canyon residence. She further alleged that the R&B singer would create situations where he is alone with her at his home in Chatsworth so he could freely assault her.
The plaintiffs are asking for no less than $50 million in damages. Smokey Robinson or his legal team, however, has yet to comment on the allegations.
