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Motown legend William “Smokey” Robinson has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by four women – identified only as Jane Does 1, 2, 3 and 4 – who worked as housekeepers for the Robinsons.
A complaint filed in Los Angeles superior court on 6 May lists charges including sexual battery, false imprisonment, negligence and gender violence. The complaint seeks $50m total in damages for the four women.
The lawsuit also names Robinson’s wife, Frances Robinson, and lists a litany of alleged labor violations, including failure to pay minimum wage, failure to pay overtime, inaccurate wage statements and hostile work environment.
Smokey Robinson’s towering status was built from decades in the music business, starting with his founding of the Motown group the Miracles in 1955. Robinson claims credit on more than 4,000 songs, with production credits including the Temptations and Marvin Gaye, and he has spots in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Halls of Fame.
According to the complaint, filed by Los Angeles-based firm Harris & Hayden, Robinson’s larger-than-life status was an intimidating factor in coming forward with the allegations. Attorney John Harris, speaking at a Los Angeles news conference, contrasted Robinson’s status with that of his accusers.
“They’re Hispanic women who were employed by the Robinsons earning below minimum wage,” Harris said. “As low-wage women in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options necessary to protect themselves from sexual assaults.”
Harris emphasized the vulnerability of Robinson’s accusers.
“They all feared missing a pay day and not being able to pay their rent or buy food for their families,” Harris said.
The complaint shows a pattern not just in the accusers’ backgrounds, but in their allegations. Jane Does 1, 3 and 4 all allege Robinson sexually assaulted them in the “blue bedroom” of his Chatsworth residence, and laying down a towel to protect the bed sheets prior to the assaults. Jane Doe 4’s account includes allegations of rape at Robinson’s Las Vegas and Bell Canyon homes. Jane Doe 2’s allegations state that Robinson raped her in the laundry room and garage of his Chatsworth residence, where closed-circuit cameras were unable to see.
“We believe Mr Robinson is a sick and serial rapist that must be stopped,” Harris said.
All four women also allege a hostile work environment from Frances Robinson, and state that she consistently used “ethnically pejorative words and language”. The complaint states that she failed to prevent her husband’s sexual assaults, “despite having full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct, having settled cases with other women that suffered and experienced similar sexual assaults perpetrated by him”.
“We believe she was aware of the misconduct by her husband, Smokey Robinson, and that she used their status as well as the client’s reliance on their living wage in order to keep them in check,” attorney Herbert Hayden said.
According to Hayden and Harris, no police reports or criminal charges have been filed against Robinson.
