Two more former employees have filed a lawsuit against Motown legend Smokey Robinson and his wife Frances Robinson, adding their allegations of sexual abuse against the singer to a $50 million lawsuit filed earlier this year.
Women who filed a lawsuit against the couple in May for sexual assault and failure to pay overtime filed a motion last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court asking it to amend its original complaint to include new claims from a fifth housekeeper and a man who detailed the couple's cars. They both alleged separate incidents in which Robinson grabbed their hands to touch his erect penis while they were working at his Chatsworth home.
Robinson's lawyer, Christopher Frost, denied the latest round of allegations in a statement shared with some retail outlets but did not immediately respond to a Los Angeles Times request for comment Thursday. Frost said the two accusers, identified in court documents as Jane Doe 5 and John Doe 1, are part of “the same group of people who conspired against the Robinsons and are making their claims to maximize negative publicity.”
The frost that used to be fired May's initial complaint as “an ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon” remained unchanged in these views. “This is a group of people who are hiding behind anonymity and their lawyers are seeking global publicity while making the ugliest false accusations,” Frost said. TMZ.
The plaintiffs' motion outlined proposed changes to the amended complaint describing the alleged sexual abuse that Jane Doe 5 and John Doe 1 faced during their tenure in office. Jane Doe 5 is described as a housekeeper who worked for the Robinsons from 2005 to 2011. She took time off due to a work injury, but returned around 2007.
According to the petition, Jane Doe 5 alleges that the singer, real name William Robinson Jr., often called her from the second-floor bathroom and asked for a back rub. The Grammy winner allegedly turned to face her with his erect penis while he took a shower, then turned back to have her wipe his back. She claims he grabbed her hand more than 10 times, trying to force her to touch his erection. She “will struggle violently, pushing his hands away forcefully, and flee from the bathroom,” the statement said.
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Robinson allegedly frequently walked around the house naked and rubbed his elbow against Jane Doe 5's breasts. This prompted her to undergo a breast reduction in 2015, years after she stopped working for celebrity spouses. She claims the singer repeatedly propositioned her for sex, including after he refused to rehire her when he asked her to “accompany him to a nearby hotel.”
Jane Doe 5 is also suing Frances Robinson, whom she accuses of maintaining a “hostile work environment.” She claims Frances blamed her for being injured while cleaning the home's chimney and advised her to continue working despite it. Jane Doe 5 accused Frances of failing to take “appropriate corrective action” to prevent her husband's alleged sexual advances and repeated previous allegations that Frances yelled at employees and “used ethnically offensive words and language.”
She also repeats previous allegations that the couple, who married in 2022, failed to pay minimum wage or overtime, repeating allegations mentioned in the original lawsuit.
The petition described John Doe 1 as a new employee who was hired in 2013 to detail the couple's cars and other related services. He was “sexually harassed” by Smokey Robinson shortly after he began working for the couple, the petition alleges. John Doe 1 said the singer would often show up at his place of work outside the home wearing only his underwear and then “touch and fondle his erect penis” in “public view.” The artist allegedly made lewd gestures and remarks, including inviting John Doe 1 to join him in the “inner room” next to his work area.
Although John Doe 1 rejected the singer's repeated advances and encouraged him to “get dressed,” in 2022 the musician grabbed the accuser's hand and tried to put it on his erection, the motion says. John Doe 1 “immediately withdrew, turned away and walked away.”
He claims the Robinsons terminated his employment shortly after the incident, but about a year later they demanded he return. Smokey Robinson allegedly continued to appear “partially clothed, touch himself” and make sexually suggestive remarks, the motion states. John Doe 1 “experienced humiliation, emotional distress, and constant fear for his safety and dignity.” He eventually stopped working for the singer and his wife after learning of similar allegations from former employees.
John Doe 1 does not seek action on wage-related issues, but rather on claims including sexual battery, assault, gender-based violence, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Jan. 6, with a trial scheduled for October 2027.
