Earlier this month, Smokey Robinson — singer-songwriter, producer, former record executive and Motown veteran — was sued by four women purporting to have each previously been employed as his housekeepers between 2007 and 2024. The four Jane Does accused him of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and hostile work conditions in their complaint, seeking $50 million USD in damages.
Robinson, 85, promptly denied the allegations both personally and through his lawyer, Christopher Frost, and is now moving to countersue the plaintiffs for $500 million, accusing them of defamation and elder abuse. The singer likewise filed a motion to dismiss his former employees' lawsuit on the basis that they chose to file anonymously, and not under their legal names. (The original lawsuit saw the Jane Does claim that they maintained their anonymity out of fear of losing their livelihood, in addition to public embarrassment, shame and humiliation.)
Filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Robinson's countersuit claims the plaintiffs of acting out of "avarice and greed," accusing the four women of "concocting an extortionate plan to take everything from the Robinsons" to "wrongfully destroy the Robinsons' well-built reputations," as per the court documents obtained by Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. According to the filing, Robinson and his wife, Frances — who was also named in the women's lawsuit for having "failed to take appropriate corrective action" — treated the employees "as extended family" during their respective tenures, reportedly giving them autonomy in their jobs and substantial gifts.
At a press conference on May 6, the plaintiffs' lawyer, John W. Harris, said that his clients were all immigrants who earn below minimum wage. "As low-wage workers in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options necessary to protect themselves from sexual assaults," Harris told The New York Times, with the women also reportedly fearing that coming forward with the allegations would threaten their immigration status.
Harris and the rest of the legal team representing Robinson's former employees issued the following statement to Pitchfork in light of the countersuit:
The cross-complaint filed by Mr. Christopher Frost on behalf of William "Smokey" Robinson and Frances Robinson, is nothing more than an attempt to silence and intimidate the survivors of Mr. Robinson's sexual battery and assault. It is a baseless and vindictive legal maneuver designed to re-victimize, shift blame and discourage others from coming forward. This type of retaliatory litigation is precisely what California's anti-SLAPP laws were enacted to prevent.
Jane Does 1–4 exercised their fundamental constitutional right to seek redress through the courts by filing a civil action to expose and hold accountable behavior that no one should have to endure. In response, Mr. Robinson, filed a cross-complaint that mischaracterizes the facts and seeks to punish his victims for speaking out.
This cross-complaint will not stand. We are filing an anti-SLAPP motion to strike it in its entirety and will seek attorneys' fees and costs for having to defend against this abusive tactic.
Jane Does 1–4 remain committed to seeking justice — not only for themselves but for all survivors who have been silenced by fear of retaliation. This case is about accountability, transparency, and ensuring that power is not used to harm or suppress others.