Smokey Robinson files $500m counterclaim lawsuit against accusers

Motown legend Smokey Robinson has launched a $500 million defamation lawsuit against four former housekeepers who earlier this month accused him of sexual assault and abuse spanning more than a decade.

Filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, the suit alleges that the women – identified in the original filing as Jane Does 1–4 – fabricated their allegations to extort the 85-year-old singer.

Robinson's legal team has also filed a motion seeking the dismissal of the assault lawsuit, arguing it was improperly submitted under false names.

Robinson, whose career spans hits such as 'The Tracks of My Tears' and 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me,' has denied all claims of misconduct.

The women, all of Hispanic descent, allege they were repeatedly assaulted while employed as housekeepers at the singer’s Chatsworth residence between 2012 and 2024.

Their lawsuit, filed earlier in May, is seeking at least $50 million in damages and accuses Robinson’s wife, Frances, of complicity in the alleged abuse and of using ethnically derogatory language.

One woman alleges Robinson assaulted her at least 23 times between 2014 and 2020, often in areas without surveillance.

Another says the singer performed a ritual involving appearing nearly naked and placing a towel on his bed prior to alleged assaults. Two others describe similar experiences, with one claiming seven incidents over 13 months of employment.

Robinson’s defamation complaint names the four Jane Does, their attorney John Harris, his law partner Herbert Hayden, and their Los Angeles-based firm Harris & Hayden.

The lawsuit singles out Harris’s statements during the press conference, in which he labelled Robinson a “serial and sick rapist.”

In response, Harris and Hayden dismissed the defamation action as a “baseless and vindictive legal manoeuvre” designed to “re-victimise” survivors.

They announced plans to file a motion under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which protects individuals from lawsuits intended to suppress free speech on public matters.

Earlier, it was also reported that Robinson is under criminal investigation in Los Angeles, though no charges have been filed to date. Robinson has previously stated he welcomed the inquiry, asserting, “exposure to the truth is a powerful thing.”

Robinson’s civil suit claims defamation, emotional distress, and invasion of privacy. He is seeking damages of no less than $500 million.