Major Allegations Surface Against the Motown Legend

Motown icon Smokey Robinson is facing some serious allegations that have sent shockwaves through the entertainment world. On Tuesday, May 6, four women filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles accusing the 84-year-old music legend of repeated s*xual assault and r*pe during the years they were employed in his home.

According to court documents via TMZ, the four women—listed as Jane Does—say they all worked as housekeepers for Smokey and his wife, Frances Gladney Robinson, over a span of years, starting as early as 2007. While their time working for the Robinsons overlapped, each woman alleges that Smokey s*xually violated them on multiple occasions.

Accusers Claim a Pattern of Abuse

One disturbing detail the accusers agree on: they say Smokey would often wait until his wife Frances was away from the house before calling them into his bedroom or other private areas. Once there, the women claim he would force himself on them. The lawsuit alleges that Robinson sometimes even laid down a towel first, in an attempt to avoid soiling the bed linens, before s*xually assaulting them.

The women accuse Smokey of a range of abusive behavior, including forcibly penetrating them with his fingers, performing oral s*x on them against their will, forcing them to perform oral s*x on him, and r*ping them. Two of the accusers say he ejaculated inside them without protection. They also claim that throughout these assaults, they repeatedly told him no, but were ignored.

Legal Action and Accusers’ Claims About Smokey’s Wife

The lawsuit lists charges of s*xual battery, assault, false imprisonment, and gender violence. The women are seeking a minimum of $50 million in damages.

Smokey’s wife, Frances—his partner of 23 years—is also named in the suit. While the women are not accusing her of participating in any of the alleged s*xual assaults, they claim she was aware of her husband’s past misconduct and did nothing to stop it. They also accuse her of contributing to a toxic work environment by using racially offensive language, assigning them overly demanding tasks, and depriving them of proper rest and meal breaks.

No Public Response Yet

As of now, neither Smokey nor Frances Robinson has responded publicly to the accusations.

Where Does The Truth Lie? Only Time Will Tell

Smokey’s been in the music game for almost 70 years, and up to this point, as far as we know…he has not had any public claims like these made against him, which may or may not be a testament to how he’s conducted himself behind the scenes throughout that time. HOWEVER, although many of us Smokey-fans may be disappointed to see these types of allegations involve one of our favorite icons, if Smokey did in fact do what his accusers claim, they deserve the right to speak up about it. In the end, hopefully truth prevails—regardless of how good or bad that truth may be. Only time will tell. We’ll keep y’all posted on this.