Smokey Robinson was investigated for 2015 sex assault
Authorities investigated a previous sexual assault allegation against Smokey Robinson in 2015, but no charges were filed because of insufficient evidence, prosecutors say.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office confirmed the decade-old investigation and its decision to decline charges in a statement on Friday. The office said no details could be provided because of the current investigation of Robinson.
Four former housekeepers of the singer-songwriter and Motown music luminary have alleged that he raped and sexually assaulted them between 2007 and 2024.
The women filed a lawsuit on May 6, then the following week the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department revealed that its Special Victims Bureau was "actively investigating criminal allegations" against Robinson.
Robinson's lawyer Christopher Frost said in a statement Friday that they are "pleased" that the district attorney "confirmed there was no basis to file charges a decade ago."
"One unfortunate aspect of celebrity is that it is not uncommon to be the target of spurious and unsubstantiated allegations," Frost said.
"Mr. Robinson looks forward to the conclusion of the current investigation, and has no doubt that a similar determination will be reached here."
Frost previously called the housekeepers' allegations "vile" and "false".
The 2015 case was first reported by TMZ.
On Wednesday, Robinson and his wife, Frances, who was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, sued the women for defamation, saying their allegations were "fabricated in an extortionate scheme".
A statement on Friday from the housekeepers' lawyers, John Harris and Herbert Hayden, emphasised that there were no charges in the 2015 case "due to insufficient evidence — not because the claims lacked merit.".
They said "this latest development further affirms that at least five women have now come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Mr. Robinson. Together, they are united in their pursuit of justice".
Robinson, a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, was a key figure in the Motown Records machine of the 1960s as both an artist and a writer, and was one of the biggest hitmakers of the era with songs including Tears of a Clown and The Tracks of My Tears.
The housekeepers are seeking at least $US50 million ($A78 million) in the lawsuit. They have not publicly revealed their names.
They allege Robinson raped and sexually assaulted them after isolating them, usually in his home. One woman said she was assaulted at least 20 times while working for Robinson from 2012 until 2024. Another said she worked for him from 2014 until 2020 and was assaulted at least 23 times.
They said Frances Robinson enabled him and created an abusive workplace.
The Robinsons' defamation lawsuit says the women "stayed with the Robinsons year after year," vacationed with them, celebrated holidays with them, exchanged gifts with them, asked for tickets to his concerts, and sought and received help from them including money for dental surgery, financial support for a disabled family member, and "even a car".
The court filing says that despite the couple's generosity, the women "secretly harboured resentment for the Robinsons and sought to enrich themselves through the Robinsons' wealth."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
14 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Michael Jackson 'humiliated' by his dad as a child
Michael Jackson's fixation on cosmetic surgery and appearance was sparked by childhood humiliation at the hands of his father, a new book claims. The singer, who was killed by a drug overdose aged 50 in 2009, was renowned for his addiction to changing his appearance. Jackson's former lawyer John Mason has now stated in his memoir that it was down to the abuse of the star by his domineering dad Joe Jackson. Mason, who is now in his 80s, says in his book Crazy Lucky: Remarkable Stories from Inside the World of Celebrity Icons, that Jackson told him his father "told me I had a big nose" early in his life. "That was just the beginning of Michael's obsession with his looks," the former lawyer says in the extract obtained by Mason worked with the Jackson family during their transition from Motown to Epic Records in the 1970s and goes into detail in his book about the emotional and psychological toll inflicted on the young star. "In 1964, Michael, who was six years old and driven to sing and dance, went to work," he writes. "Michael would remember years later that his father didn't praise his singing ability after that first performance or his magical moves." That early criticism, Mason writes, "planted the seeds for future plastic surgery adventures in the name of finding true beauty". Despite Jackson's public insistence he had only undergone two nose surgeries, his continually changing appearance fuelled long-standing speculation over the extent of his cosmetic procedures. Mason described his time with the family as strained and uncomfortable, particularly due to Joe Jackson's harsh methods. "Back in the day, Joe made all the calls," he said. "He would sit at rehearsals with a belt in his hand in case he had to punish any mistakes or misbehaviour. "There was never a fun moment. Joe's way of approaching people was to be intimidating. He would shake your hand and try to crush it." Jackson's death was caused by acute propofol intoxication combined with sedatives and ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner's office. His doctor Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for providing the singer with the hospital-strength tranquiliser, which Jackson called his "milk" as he said it was the only thing that helped him sleep. Michael Jackson's fixation on cosmetic surgery and appearance was sparked by childhood humiliation at the hands of his father, a new book claims. The singer, who was killed by a drug overdose aged 50 in 2009, was renowned for his addiction to changing his appearance. Jackson's former lawyer John Mason has now stated in his memoir that it was down to the abuse of the star by his domineering dad Joe Jackson. Mason, who is now in his 80s, says in his book Crazy Lucky: Remarkable Stories from Inside the World of Celebrity Icons, that Jackson told him his father "told me I had a big nose" early in his life. "That was just the beginning of Michael's obsession with his looks," the former lawyer says in the extract obtained by Mason worked with the Jackson family during their transition from Motown to Epic Records in the 1970s and goes into detail in his book about the emotional and psychological toll inflicted on the young star. "In 1964, Michael, who was six years old and driven to sing and dance, went to work," he writes. "Michael would remember years later that his father didn't praise his singing ability after that first performance or his magical moves." That early criticism, Mason writes, "planted the seeds for future plastic surgery adventures in the name of finding true beauty". Despite Jackson's public insistence he had only undergone two nose surgeries, his continually changing appearance fuelled long-standing speculation over the extent of his cosmetic procedures. Mason described his time with the family as strained and uncomfortable, particularly due to Joe Jackson's harsh methods. "Back in the day, Joe made all the calls," he said. "He would sit at rehearsals with a belt in his hand in case he had to punish any mistakes or misbehaviour. "There was never a fun moment. Joe's way of approaching people was to be intimidating. He would shake your hand and try to crush it." Jackson's death was caused by acute propofol intoxication combined with sedatives and ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner's office. His doctor Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for providing the singer with the hospital-strength tranquiliser, which Jackson called his "milk" as he said it was the only thing that helped him sleep. Michael Jackson's fixation on cosmetic surgery and appearance was sparked by childhood humiliation at the hands of his father, a new book claims. The singer, who was killed by a drug overdose aged 50 in 2009, was renowned for his addiction to changing his appearance. Jackson's former lawyer John Mason has now stated in his memoir that it was down to the abuse of the star by his domineering dad Joe Jackson. Mason, who is now in his 80s, says in his book Crazy Lucky: Remarkable Stories from Inside the World of Celebrity Icons, that Jackson told him his father "told me I had a big nose" early in his life. "That was just the beginning of Michael's obsession with his looks," the former lawyer says in the extract obtained by Mason worked with the Jackson family during their transition from Motown to Epic Records in the 1970s and goes into detail in his book about the emotional and psychological toll inflicted on the young star. "In 1964, Michael, who was six years old and driven to sing and dance, went to work," he writes. "Michael would remember years later that his father didn't praise his singing ability after that first performance or his magical moves." That early criticism, Mason writes, "planted the seeds for future plastic surgery adventures in the name of finding true beauty". Despite Jackson's public insistence he had only undergone two nose surgeries, his continually changing appearance fuelled long-standing speculation over the extent of his cosmetic procedures. Mason described his time with the family as strained and uncomfortable, particularly due to Joe Jackson's harsh methods. "Back in the day, Joe made all the calls," he said. "He would sit at rehearsals with a belt in his hand in case he had to punish any mistakes or misbehaviour. "There was never a fun moment. Joe's way of approaching people was to be intimidating. He would shake your hand and try to crush it." Jackson's death was caused by acute propofol intoxication combined with sedatives and ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner's office. His doctor Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for providing the singer with the hospital-strength tranquiliser, which Jackson called his "milk" as he said it was the only thing that helped him sleep. Michael Jackson's fixation on cosmetic surgery and appearance was sparked by childhood humiliation at the hands of his father, a new book claims. The singer, who was killed by a drug overdose aged 50 in 2009, was renowned for his addiction to changing his appearance. Jackson's former lawyer John Mason has now stated in his memoir that it was down to the abuse of the star by his domineering dad Joe Jackson. Mason, who is now in his 80s, says in his book Crazy Lucky: Remarkable Stories from Inside the World of Celebrity Icons, that Jackson told him his father "told me I had a big nose" early in his life. "That was just the beginning of Michael's obsession with his looks," the former lawyer says in the extract obtained by Mason worked with the Jackson family during their transition from Motown to Epic Records in the 1970s and goes into detail in his book about the emotional and psychological toll inflicted on the young star. "In 1964, Michael, who was six years old and driven to sing and dance, went to work," he writes. "Michael would remember years later that his father didn't praise his singing ability after that first performance or his magical moves." That early criticism, Mason writes, "planted the seeds for future plastic surgery adventures in the name of finding true beauty". Despite Jackson's public insistence he had only undergone two nose surgeries, his continually changing appearance fuelled long-standing speculation over the extent of his cosmetic procedures. Mason described his time with the family as strained and uncomfortable, particularly due to Joe Jackson's harsh methods. "Back in the day, Joe made all the calls," he said. "He would sit at rehearsals with a belt in his hand in case he had to punish any mistakes or misbehaviour. "There was never a fun moment. Joe's way of approaching people was to be intimidating. He would shake your hand and try to crush it." Jackson's death was caused by acute propofol intoxication combined with sedatives and ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner's office. His doctor Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for providing the singer with the hospital-strength tranquiliser, which Jackson called his "milk" as he said it was the only thing that helped him sleep.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Michael Jackson's fixation on cosmetic surgery ‘sparked by childhood humiliation at hands of his dad'
Michael Jackson's fixation on cosmetic surgery and appearance was sparked by childhood humiliation at the hands of his father, a new book claims. The singer, who was killed by a drugs overdose aged 50 in 2009, was renowned for his addiction to changing his appearance, and Michael's former lawyer John Mason has now stated in his memoir it was down to abuse of the star by his domineering dad Joe Jackson. John, who is now in his 80s, says in his book Crazy Lucky: Remarkable Stories from Inside the World of Celebrity Icons in an extract obtained by Michael told him his father 'told me I had a big nose' early in his life. The ex-attorney added: 'That was just the beginning of Michael's obsession with his looks.' John worked with the Jackson family during their transition from Motown to Epic Records in the 1970s and goes into detail in his book about the emotional and psychological toll inflicted on the young Michael. He said: 'In 1964, Michael, who was six years old and driven to sing and dance, went to work. Michael would remember years later that his father didn't praise his singing ability after that first performance or his magical moves.' That early criticism, John writes, 'planted the seeds for future plastic surgery adventures in the name of finding true 'beauty'.' Despite Michael's public insistence he had only undergone two nose surgeries, his continually changing appearance fuelled long-standing speculation over the extent of his cosmetic procedures. John described his time with the family as strained and uncomfortable, particularly due to Joe Jackson's harsh methods. 'Back in the day, Joe made all the calls,' he said – adding: 'He would sit at rehearsals with a belt in his hand in case he had to punish any mistakes or misbehaviour.' He added: 'There was never a fun moment. Joe's way of approaching people was to be intimidating. He would shake your hand and try to crush it.' Michael's death was caused by acute propofol intoxication combined with sedatives and ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner's office. His personal physician Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for providing the singer with the hospital-strength tranquiliser, which Michael called his 'milk' as he said it was the only thing that helped him sleep.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Kate Upton and Justin Verlander welcome second child
Kate Upton and Justin Verlander have welcomed their second child. The 33-year-old model gave birth to son Bellamy Brooks Verlander on Thursday (19.06.25), her representative told TMZ. The following day, 42-year-old baseball star Justin was placed on paternity leave by the San Francisco Giants. The MLB's paternity leave policy allows players to step away for up to three games, barring any issues requiring a longer leave. Kate and Justin already have six-year-old daughter Genevieve, known as 'Vivi', together. The couple tied the knot in 2017, just days after Verlander won the World Series with the Houston Astros. And, in 2019, he spoke about how fatherhood had impacted his career. He told PEOPLE: "I would like to be able to play long enough that my daughter can see me and remember me playing baseball when she grows older," he explained. "Maybe if anything, it's going to push me to stay in shape and stay healthy, and be a good pitcher as long as I possibly can. I want her to be able to remember me on the field." Kate has spoken about how alike Vivi and Justin are, telling PEOPLE last year that they are both "big rule followers," but she's not. She went on: "She loves to dance and have a good time, and she loves to be in the moment. I think she gets that from me."
