Published: 7:30am, 16 May 2025Updated: 10:54am, 16 May 2025
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday that it has opened a criminal investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations against Motown music luminary Smokey Robinson.
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The department said in a statement that its Special Victims Bureau is “actively investigating criminal allegations” against Robinson.
Last week, four former housekeepers of Robinson filed a lawsuit alleging that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted them, in some cases for years, while they worked for him.
The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least US$50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024.
Robinson’s lawyer said there was no merit to the allegations against the 85-year-old musical icon who was among the biggest hitmakers of the 1960s.
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The lawyer, Christopher Frost, said Tuesday the only reason for the suit is “unadulterated avarice”.