Adding to the list of powerful Black men who have been accused of sexual assault, news of a new lawsuit against music legend Smokey Robinson is shaking up everyone’s Tuesday afternoon. In a new lawsuit, four women have accused the icon of a series of heinous acts.
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The former Motown Records executive was accused of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment, according to the suit obtained by PEOPLE. The plaintiffs are all reportedly former employees of Robinson.
To make matters even worse, Robinson’s wife, Frances Robinson, was also name-dropped in the suit. One of the accusers, who’s been identified as Jane Doe 1, claimed Robinson’s wife had “full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct” but “failed to take the appropriate corrective action” to prevent “deviant misconduct” from Robinson.
Doe 1 even claimed Frances helped settle cases of other women, who accused Robinson of similar misconduct. Robinson married his wife in 2002, just a few years before some of the sexual assault allegations reportedly began.
Jane Doe 2 claimed she was forced to resign from her role as the Robinsons’ housekeeper after the 85-year-old’s “repeated sexual assaults and sexual harassment,” according to the suit. The woman says she began working for the family in 2014. Robinson’s alleged attacks on her began in 2016. According to the suit, reviewed by the New York Post, Robinson “forcibly penetrate[d] her with his erect penis without using a condom...He would enjoy ejaculating all over JD2’s face, much to his satisfaction and her abject humiliation.”
The third woman, Jane Doe 3, also worked as a housekeeper for the Robinsons from 2012 until 2024. It was then that the patriarch’s continuous “sexual assaults and sexual harassment against her” ultimately led to her resigning from the position. Doe 3 also claimed Robinson raped her “at least 20 times” over the years.
A fourth housekeeper, Jane Doe 4, also alleged sexual misconduct from Robinson. She reportedly began working for the family in 2006 and resigned in 2024. She alleged her sexual assault began in 2007.
This lawsuit comes just weeks after Robinson released his newest album, “What The World Needs Now” on April 25. All four women are asking for $5o million in damages, according to the suit.
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