Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazile on Monday refused to toss sexual harassment and labor claims brought by two women who are among several accusing Smokey Robinson of on-the-job sexual assaults. The targeted ruling keeps parts of a $50 million complaint alive while the court sorts out how recent changes in California law apply to older allegations. In practical terms, it moves those claims further into litigation without resolving whether the accusations are true.
In written remarks, Brazile said recent revisions to state law may revive claims that otherwise appear time-barred and that the plaintiffs had alleged a pattern of coercive conduct strong enough at this early stage to survive a demurrer, according to Rolling Stone. The ruling focused on two plaintiffs identified as Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 5, whose employment with the Robinsons ended in 2020 and 2011 respectively. Brazile said the court would hold off on further rulings until more facts come to light.
What the suits allege
The litigation began in May 2025 when four former housekeepers filed a suit seeking at least $50 million, alleging repeated sexual assault, sexual battery and labor-code violations while working for the Robinsons, with incidents alleged between 2007 and 2024, as reported by AP. The complaint says some of the alleged abuse took place at the Robinsons' homes in the San Fernando Valley and in Las Vegas. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Special Victims Bureau has confirmed it is investigating criminal allegations tied to the complaint.
Robinson's lawyers had pushed the court to trim back claims from Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 5, arguing their employment-related claims came too late under the statute of limitations. At this pleading stage, Brazile found the allegations were sufficiently detailed to let the claims proceed and be tested in discovery, MyNewsLA reported. The contested causes of action include hostile-work-environment claims and wage-and-hour allegations that the defense had sought to knock out as time-barred.
Robinson's response and countersuit
The Robinsons have denied the allegations and have filed counterclaims accusing the women of defamation and elder abuse, with defense lawyers working to undermine the plaintiffs' accounts, according to CBS Los Angeles. Christopher Frost, an attorney for Robinson, said the defense will "vigorously defend" the couple and pursue its own claims, a statement reported by Rolling Stone. Robinson's team has argued that certain public statements by the plaintiffs could amount to defamation and has continued to press procedural challenges in court.
Legal implications and next steps
Overruling a demurrer at this stage means the court found the complaint's allegations legally sufficient to move into discovery, but it does not decide whether those allegations are accurate. Local coverage notes the case is likely to generate further procedural fights, including anti-SLAPP briefing and other motions that could stretch out pretrial timelines, according to Los Angeles Sentinel. At the same time, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Special Victims Bureau continues a criminal probe tied to the accusations, so the civil lawsuit and any criminal inquiry could proceed on parallel tracks.
For now the judge has left the core claims in place and the case will move forward through discovery and additional motions; neither side identified a trial date at Monday's hearing, MyNewsLA reports. Attorneys on both sides say they will continue to press their respective claims and defenses in court while investigators review any criminal allegations.
