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Singer Smokey Robinson is under criminal investigation following allegations that he sexually assaulted his former housekeepers for years, per NBC News.
Earlier this month, four of Robinson's former employees filed a complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing the singer of false imprisonment, gender violence, and creating a hostile work environment, along with sexual battery and assault.
A spokesperson from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed on Thursday (May 15) that a criminal investigation had been launched against Robinson. The investigation is linked to the lawsuit, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs.
"Our clients intend to fully cooperate with LASD’s ongoing investigation in the pursuit of seeking justice for themselves and others that may have been similarly assaulted by him," John Harris and Herbert Hayden said in a statement.
Robinson's attorney said the investigation is welcome, adding that he's "confident that a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong, and that this is a desperate attempt to prejudice public opinion and make even more of a media circus than the Plaintiffs were previously able to create."
"The record will ultimately demonstrate that this is nothing more than a manufactured lawsuit intended to tarnish the good names of Smokey and Frances Robinson for no other reason than unadulterated avarice," the lawyer, Christopher Frost, said Robinson and his wife.
One of the plaintiffs, who identified as Jane Doe in the complaint, claimed Robinson started sexually assaulting her in 2016.
The former employee said Robinson would text her and ask to meet in places in the house that didn't have surveillance cameras when they were home alone at his Los Angeles mansion. Smokey would then allegedly sexually assault and rape the ex-employee.
"He would then summon her to either the laundry room or garage, where there were no cameras," court documents state.
A second plaintiff, the Robinsons' former housekeeper, claimed in suit that she was sexually assaulted a month after she was hired to clean the couple's Los Angeles home.
The housekeeper alleged that Robinson would take his wife to the nail salon on Saturdays and rush back to their residence to "be home alone" with her. Smokey would then rape the housekeeper on his bed and ignore her resistance.
The plaintiff said she quit her job in February 2024 following the alleged assaults.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is seeking $50 million in damages.
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