Legendary soul singer Smokey Robinson is under criminal investigation following a lawsuit that accuses him of sexually assaulting several housekeepers over the years.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday that it has opened an investigation into “criminal allegations” against the singer.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau is actively investigating criminal allegations involving William Robinson AKA ‘Smokey Robinson,’” an LASD spokesperson told HuffPost in a statement. “The investigation is in the early stages, and we have no further comment.”
Earlier this month, Robinson was hit with a $50 million lawsuit after four former housekeepers alleged he sexually assaulted them between 2007 and 2024.
Robinson’s attorney, Christopher Frost, confirmed the investigation is regarding the alleged sexual assaults of housekeepers in a statement to HuffPost.
“We are aware that a police report has now been filed by the Plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit,” Frost said.
All four women alleged Robinson would wait until he was alone with them in his Los Angeles house before sexually assaulting them.
“We believe that Mr. Robinson is a serial and sick rapist, and must be stopped,” the women’s attorney, John Harris, said at a news conference.
Two of the women said they were assaulted at least 20 times. Another alleges she was assaulted at least seven times in the year she worked there before quitting in 2024.
Along with allegations of rape, the lawsuit also accuses Robinson and his wife, Frances Robinson, of a hostile work environment, lack of pay and illegally long hours. The lawsuit also alleges Frances Robinson often berated the housekeepers and used slurs.
Frost, the attorney, told HuffPost that he welcomes a police investigation, and accused the four women ― who are all listed as Jane Does in the lawsuit ― of hiding their identities.
“It is clear to us what is happening here,” Frost said in part. “Plaintiffs filed a police report only after they filed a $50 million lawsuit. This means only that the police are now required to investigate. We welcome that investigation, which involves Plaintiffs who continue to hide their identities, because exposure to the truth is a powerful thing.”
Frost added that he’s confident “a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong.”