Motown legend Smokey Robinson and his wife Frances have become the focus of a lawsuit filed by four former employees alleging sexual battery, assault, and creation of a hostile work environment. According to KTLA 5, the plaintiffs submitted their complaint to the Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, seeking $50 million in damages for the emotional and physical harm they claim to have endured.
The four women, choosing to remain anonymous under the pseudonyms Jane Doe 1 through 4, were employed as housekeepers at the Robinsons' Chatsworth residence, with allegations spanning from 2007 until April 2024, as detailed by NBCLA. The nature of the allegations are grave, encompassing unwanted physical contact reportedly extending to their entire bodies, including their vaginas, breasts, legs, abdomen, lips, and face, despite explicit objections, and in some instances, Robinson allegedly used physical barriers and threats to prevent the victims from escaping their circumstances.
Adding to the charges, claims also assert that Frances Robinson not only knew about but failed to prevent her husband's alleged misconduct and inflicted her form of abuse through "regularly screaming at them separately in a hostile manner, using ethnically pejorative words and language," claims suggesting incidents of distinctly egregious behavior. Further amplifying their distress, the plaintiffs allege that they weren't paid minimum wage or overtime and lacked proper rest or lunch breaks, which CBS News Los Angeles reports included work during holidays without due compensation.
Despite these claims at hand, the Robinsons have yet to release a statement. Lawyers for the plaintiffs are set to provide a more extensive briefing during a press conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles. This briefing, which could shed further light on the specifics of the allegations, will be streamed live, as reported by FOXLA.
