Smokey Robinson's lawyer says rape allegations against him are 'vile'
and 'false'
[May 08, 2025]
By ANDREW DALTON
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Smokey Robinson's lawyer said allegations of rape and
sexual assault against him in a lawsuit from four former housekeepers
are “vile" and “false.”
Attorney Christopher Frost said in a statement Wednesday that the
evidence “will show that this is simply an ugly method of trying to
extract money from an 85-year-old American icon.”
The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday against the
Motown music luminary seeks at least $50 million in damages over the
alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024.
Robinson's wife, Frances Robinson, is also named as a defendant for
allegedly enabling his behavior and creating an abusive work
environment.
“We will be addressing the numerous aspects of the complaint that defy
credulity as well as issues relating to purported timelines,
inconsistencies, and relationships between the plaintiffs and others,”
Frost's statement said.
The four women each allege that Smokey Robinson would wait until he was
alone with them in his Los Angeles house and then sexually assault and
rape them over their objections, in some cases for many years.
“We believe that Mr. Robinson is a serial and sick rapist, and must be
stopped,” the women’s attorney John Harris said at a news conference
Tuesday.
The Associated Press doesn’t identify people who say they have been
sexually assaulted unless they publicly identify themselves. The women,
whose names are withheld in the lawsuit, appeared with their lawyers at
the news conference. They didn't speak, and they covered their faces
with masks.
Frost called the news conference “bizarre theatrics,” and an attempt to
“enlist the public as an unwitting participant in the media circus they
are trying to create. We ask anyone following this case to reserve
judgment as the evidence comes to light and all the actual facts of the
case unfold.”
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Smokey Robinson attends the screening for "The Apollo" during the
2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, 2019, in New York. (Photo by
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
 One woman said that she worked for
Robinson from 2012 until 2024, and was assaulted at least 20 times
in that span. Another said that she worked for him from 2014 until
2020, and was assaulted at least 23 times.
All of the accusers said they eventually quit over the assaults,
though in some cases it took several years. And all said they feared
coming forward over fears of retaliation, public shame and possible
effects on their immigration status. The same fears have kept the
women from going to police to report Robinson, their lawyers said,
though they also said they believe criminal investigation is
warranted.
The suit seeks damages based on sexual battery, assault, false
imprisonment, gender violence and other allegations.
Frost said that Robinson would soon address the allegations himself,
and that they would be asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit.
Robinson, a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the
Songwriters Hall of Fame, was among the biggest hitmakers of the
1960s as a central part of the Motown Records machine — both with
his group the Miracles and as a solo artist, with songs including
“Tears of a Clown" and “The Tracks of My Tears."
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