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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Laura Snapes

Smokey Robinson files defamation suit against former housekeepers accusing him of sexual assault

Smokey Robinson performing in 2024.
Smokey Robinson performing in 2024. Photograph: Kristina Bumphrey/Shutterstock

Smokey Robinson has filed a $500m (£370m) defamation lawsuit against the four former housekeepers who accused the Motown star of sexual assault earlier this month.

Retaining anonymity, the women characterised Robinson, 85, as a “serial and sick rapist” who had assaulted them on multiple occasions between 2007 and 2024 at three different locations. Their lawyers said that “as low-wage workers in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options necessary to protect themselves from sexual assaults”.

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