Smokey Robinson is denying the allegations brought against him.
An attorney for the music legend shared a statement slamming the lawsuit from four former housekeepers accusing Robinson, 85, of sexual assault.
“As this case progresses,” attorney Christopher Frost shared in a statement with NBC News, “the evidence (the crucial element that guides us) will show that this is simply an ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon--$50 million dollars, to be exact.”
Frost referred to proceedings in the case so far as “bizarre theatrics” and accused the plaintiff’s attorneys of “trying to enlist the public as an unwitting participant in the media circus they are trying to create.”
In addition to noting the legal team plans to ask the Court to dismiss the lawsuit, the statement added, “We ask anyone following this case to reserve judgment as the evidence comes to light and all the actual facts of the case unfold. We will be addressing the numerous aspects of the complaint that defy credulity as well as issues relating to purported timelines, inconsistencies, and relationships between the plaintiffs and others.”
In the lawsuit, obtained by NBC News and viewed by E! News, each of the four women—who have not shared their identities and are choosing to go by Jane Doe—say Robinson (real name William Robinson) repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped them throughout their years employed as housekeepers.
The lawsuit says each of the four plaintiffs were “unwilling to report Defendant’s Smokey Robinson’s unlawful acts to the authorities due to her fear of losing her livelihood, familial reprisal, public embarrassment, shame and humiliation to her and her family,” as well as feeling “threatened and intimidated” by Robinson’s celebrity status.
The suit also alleges the “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” singer’s wife Frances Robinson “failed to take the appropriate corrective action to prevent Defendant Robinson’s deviant misconduct […] despite having full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct, having settled cases with other women that suffered and experienced similar sexual assaults perpetuated by him.”
In addition to the claims of sexual assault, the lawsuit alleges a hostile work environment was created through the use of “ethnically pejorative words and language” by Robinson’s wife, and that the couple did not pay minimum wage, did not pay for overtime and did not provide rest or lunch breaks.
The plaintiffs are seeking $50 million in general damages, as well as special damages, punitive damages, prejudgment interest and “further relief,” all to be determined in court during trial.
(NBC News and E! News are both part of NBCUniversal.)