Smokey Robinson Claps Back: $500M Defamation Lawsuit Filed Against Former Housekeepers
Legendary soul icon Smokey Robinson is making headlines again — but this time, it ain’t about music. The Motown star just hit back at four ex-housekeepers with a massive $500 million lawsuit, accusing them of defamation, elder abuse, and a coordinated plot to tarnish his name.
The women previously accused Robinson of rape and sexual harassment in a lawsuit filed May 6 in Los Angeles. But now, Smokey’s throwing legal hands right back, claiming they “fabricated” the entire thing to extort him.
Alleged Betrayal: Robinson Says He Treated Them Like Family
In the bombshell 19-page cross-complaint obtained by Rolling Stone, Robinson says he and his wife, Frances, didn’t just employ these women — they blessed them.
He claims the couple provided way more than a paycheck, offering up dental money, shopping sprees, paid vacations, and even a whole car. “We treated them like family,” the filing reads.
And while Smokey was out here being generous, he says the housekeepers were scheming. “The depths of plaintiffs’ avarice and greed knows no bounds,” the filing states. “They were concocting an extortionate plan to take everything from the Robinsons… and wrongfully destroy the Robinsons’ well-built reputations.”
The Press Conference That Crossed the Line
While the women’s original lawsuit gave them some legal room to make allegations, Smokey’s new suit says their lawyer, John W. Harris, took it too far.
“Untethered to the complaint,” the filing says, “John Harris professed to the media in attendance that ‘Mr. Robinson is a serial and sick rapist.’” And that’s where Smokey drew the line.
“Plaintiffs may be able to make slanderous statements in a legal pleading (for now),” it continues, “but they are not entitled to do so in gratuitous, self-serving press conferences.”
[media placement suggestion — insert image of John Harris at press conference, alt text: John W. Harris at May 6 Press Conference]
Receipts: Deleted Texts, Birthday Wishes, and Cabo Vacations
Smokey’s legal team ain’t just making claims — they came with alleged receipts. According to the lawsuit, one housekeeper erased several texts and pictures from Frances Robinson’s phone. But not before some got saved.
In one text message, a housekeeper invites Smokey to her son’s graduation dinner. Another one from February 19, 2020, reads: “Happy birthday God bless you have a wonderful Birthday love you.”
Even more damning? A photo allegedly showing Frances Robinson vacationing in Cabo with one of the plaintiffs — despite that same woman later claiming she was abused while working for them.
The Original Allegations: What the Four Housekeepers Claimed
Back on May 6, the four women filed a lawsuit accusing Robinson of keeping them isolated at his homes in San Fernando Valley and Las Vegas, coercing them into unwanted sexual contact over a period of years.
The earliest claim dates back to 2007, with each woman alleging rape and other forms of sexual assault. The $50 million suit listed charges like false imprisonment, sexual battery, gender violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
