Smokey Robinson has filed a $500 million countersuit alleging defamation and elder abuse against four former employees who sued him for sexual assault earlier this month. In the cross-complaint, Robinson alleges the women “fabricated” their claims in an attempt to extort money from him and his wife.
As reported by Rolling Stone, Robinson’s complaint accuses the four former housekeepers of conspiring with their attorney to make “slanderous statements” against him and his wife during a press conference on May 6th.
According to the filing, the 85-year-old singer and his wife treated the women as “extended family” during their employment, providing gifts that included money for dental work, clothing, vacations, concert tickets, and even a car.
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“The depths of plaintiffs’ avarice and greed knows no bounds,” the countersuit reads. “During the very time that the Robinsons were being extraordinarily generous with plaintiffs, plaintiffs were concocting an extortionate plan to take everything from the Robinsons (everything over and above what they were freely given) and wrongfully destroy the Robinsons’ well-built reputations.”
In a related motion, Robinson and his wife have asked the court to require the women to refile their initial complaint under their legal names, arguing that “the allegations in the complaint are so far removed from the truth that the Robinsons cannot identify which Doe is whom.” California civil actions allow for the use of pseudonyms if parties can demonstrate that using their real names could cause specific harm.
The original lawsuit filed by the four Jane Does accused Robinson of repeated sexual assault occurring between 2007 and 2024. Robinson’s wife was also named as a defendant in that suit for allegedly failing to prevent his actions despite “having full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct.”
According to the women’s complaint, each plaintiff was afraid to report Robinson to authorities due to fear of losing their jobs and potential reprisal against themselves and their families. They are seeking damages of no less than $50 million for claims including sexual assault, sexual battery, false imprisonment, and gender violence.
