A judge on Thursday threw out most of Smokey Robinson’s $500 million defamation suit against four former housekeepers who accused him and his wife of labor law violations and sexual assault.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazile ruled there was no evidence of “actual malice” in the women’s accusations that would meet the legal standard, and excised all defamation-related allegations from the complaint.
He let stand other accusations including intentional infliction of emotional distress and financial elder abuse so long as they are not based on defamation, KCBS-TV reported. The singer can also still sue for conversion, invasion of privacy and a violation of the Penal Code. The suit in addition can include Robinson’s accusations of theft and deleting evidence, KNBC-TV reported.
The four Jane Does filed a civil suit on May 6, 2025, accusing the former Motown mogul and his wife, Frances, of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment. They are seeking a jury trial and $50 million in damages.
They claimed Frances refused to pay them even minimum wage, denied them meal and rest breaks, never forked over holiday pay or overtime, and created a hostile work environment.
Smokey Robinson, they said, would get them alone while Frances was off getting her nails done and deftly maneuver them out of security camera range, then force himself on them. His accusers said Frances knew about his abuse and failed to reign him in.
The “Tears of a Clown” singer volleyed back at the end of that month with the $500 million suit as his lawyer Christopher Frost immediately denied any of this happened, calling the accusations “vile” and “false.”
The women said they had initially hesitated to come forward out of fear of retaliation and of potential repercussions to their immigration status.