Four former domestic workers of Motown legend Smokey Robinson have accused him of sexual assault, alleging in a lawsuit that he repeatedly abused some of them for years.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages totaling no less than $50 million.
They were “Hispanic women employed as domestic workers earning below minimum wage,” one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys stated. “As low-wage workers in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options to protect themselves.”
DETAILS OF THE ALLEGED ABUSE
The lawsuit alleges that Smokey Robinson assaulted a woman at least 23 times between May 2014 and February 2020, often in locations within his home without security cameras.
The lawsuit alleges that he assaulted another former employee at least 20 times during the 12 years she worked for him, beginning in 2012. According to the lawsuit, Robinson forced her into his bedroom to perform a “ritual” of exiting the bathroom naked.
Another former housekeeper, who worked for Robinson for 13 months, says he assaulted her at least seven times.
Another plaintiff claimed that if she refused to have sex with him, he threatened to make his wife, Frances Robinson, “mean” her. Frances has also been charged as an accessory.
