Las Vegas Icon Smokey Robinson Accused of Multiple Rapes in $50 Million Civil Suit

Posted on: May 6, 2025, 11:11h. 

Last updated on: May 7, 2025, 09:51h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.
  • Motown legend Smokey Robinson is facing a $50 million lawsuit on charges of sexual assault
  • The suit, filed by four unnamed former housekeepers, alleges Robinson raped them each multiple times at his homes in California and Vegas between 2006 and 2024
  • Each of Robinson’s accusers is Hispanic and feared reporting the alleged assaults because of their immigration status, attorneys claim

Smokey Robinson, the legendary Motown singer and frequent Las Vegas headliner, stands accused of sexual assault and false imprisonment Tuesday in a new lawsuit filed by four anonymous women who worked as his former housekeepers.

Robinson, 85, last performed in Las Vegas at the Venetian Theatre on April 5. (Image: Ticketmaster)

The lawsuit seeks $50 million in damages for the multiple times Robinson, 85, allegedly raped each of them during the years they worked at his mansions in Las Vegas and in Chatsworth and Ventura County, Calif. between 2006 and 2024.

The suit also claims that Frances Robinson, Smokey’s wife of 25 years, perpetuated a “hostile work environment” by turning a blind eye when she had “full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct, having settled cases with other women that suffered and experienced similar sexual assaults perpetuated by him.”

“Our four clients have a common thread,” John Harris, an attorney for the women, said at a news conference in LA, where they filed the suit. “They’re Hispanic women who were employed as housekeepers by the Robinsons, earning below minimum wage.”

Each of the women worked 10-hour shifts for less than minimum wage with no overtime pay, the suit alleges, adding that three feared reporting Robinson to the authorities because of their immigration status.

“As low-wage workers in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options necessary to protect themselves from sexual assaults throughout their tenure as employees for the Robinsons,” Harris claimed.

The Details

Jane Doe 1, who worked for the Robinsons from January 2023 to February 2024, claims she was assaulted at least seven times while working weekend shifts in Chatsworth, a suburb of LA. The assaults happened after Robinson returned from dropping off his wife at the nail salon, the suit said.

Jane Doe 2 worked for the Robinsons from May 2014 to February 2020 and reported being sexually assaulted by the singer at least 23 times. Jane Doe 3, who worked for the Robinsons from February 2012 to April 2024, reported it happening at least 20 times. And Jane Doe 4, who worked for the couple from October 2006 until April 2024, said she was sexually assaulted an unspecified number of times by Robinson at his homes in Las Vegas, Chatsworth, and Ventura County.

It is not known whether criminal charges will also result from the lawsuit, which goes into much more graphic detail about each of the women’s claims.

Robinson is best known for his 1960s soul hits with the Miracles, including “Tracks of My Tears,” “Shop Around,” and “I Second That Emotion.” He was credited by the Beatles with being among their biggest songwriting inspirations.

Robinson, who last performed in Las Vegas at the Venetian Theatre on April 5, is currently on tour and scheduled to perform on Friday in Mississippi.