Lawyers for the Motown singer Smokey Robinson, whom four former housekeepers have accused of sexually assaulting them dozens of times, filed a cross-complaint on Wednesday that accuses the women and their lawyers of defamation.
Mr. Robinson’s lawyers also filed a motion to dismiss the women’s lawsuit, arguing that they should not have been granted anonymity.
In the legal filings, Mr. Robinson’s lawyers said the housekeepers had “fabricated” the abuse allegations “in support of their extortionate scheme.” The countersuit describes a caring relationship that Mr. Robinson and his wife, Frances Robinson, had with the women, noting that they vacationed together, celebrated holidays and doted upon them with concert tickets and, in one case, a car.
The court papers, which were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and ask for $500 million in damages, offered as evidence text messages in which the women wished Mr. Robinson a happy birthday, invited him to celebrations and gave other expressions of support. The filings said Ms. Robinson had considered at least one of the women a friend, including her in a will.
“The Robinsons did not abuse, harm or take advantage of plaintiffs; they treated plaintiffs with the utmost kindness and generosity,” the countersuit said. “Unfortunately, the depths of plaintiffs’ avarice and greed knows no bounds.”
John Harris and Herbert Hayden, lawyers for the former housekeepers, said in a statement that the countersuit was an attempt to silence and intimidate the women.
“It is a baseless and vindictive legal maneuver designed to re-victimize, shift blame and discourage others from coming forward,” they said.
Mr. Robinson and the musical group he led, the Miracles, were Motown royalty, writing and performing some of the biggest hits in the record company’s catalog. He also wrote or co-wrote songs for other artists, including “My Girl,” which was a hit for the Temptations. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he is currently promoting his new album, “What the World Needs Now.”
The lawsuit filed against Mr. Robinson this month identifies the four former housekeepers as Jane Does 1 through 4. They each accuse him of raping them repeatedly while they were employed cleaning his home in Chatsworth, a Los Angeles neighborhood, as well as in his other homes in Ventura County, Calif., and Las Vegas.
Christopher Frost, a lawyer for Mr. Robinson, has previously denied those allegations, but Wednesday’s legal filings offered the first detailed look at Mr. Robinson’s defense. In arguing for the motion to strike the women’s lawsuit, his lawyers say the women do not have the legal grounds to conceal their names.
Mr. Robinson’s lawsuit includes allegations of emotional distress and financial elder abuse that stem from comments his lawyers say are defamatory. The suit points to a news conference by Mr. Harris in which he called Mr. Robinson a “serial and sick rapist” and a “serial assaulter.”
The suit also details the theft of a safe and the disappearance of bank records from the Robinson home, implying that one or more of the plaintiffs were involved.
The court papers say that the women demanded $100 million from the Robinsons last year before suing. Their lawsuit, which asks for damages of at least $50 million, goes into detail about the abuse claims.
Mr. Robinson, the suit alleges, would drop off his wife at a nail salon and rush home to assault one of the women while she was alone; it says she was assaulted at least seven times in 2023 and 2024. The suit says that a second woman was sexually assaulted at least 23 times from 2014 to 2020 and that a third woman was sexually assaulted at least 20 times from 2012 to 2024.
The fourth plaintiff, who says she worked for the couple from 2006 until 2024, said in the suit that she was sexually assaulted by Mr. Robinson at several of his homes.
About a week after the women filed their lawsuit, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department opened a criminal investigation.
Jesus Jiménez contributed reporting from New York.
Matt Stevens writes about arts and culture news for The Times.
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