{"id":6490,"date":"2025-06-14T04:16:03","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T04:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/smokey-robinson-says-accusers-hurting-his-tour-for-settlement-leverage\/"},"modified":"2025-06-14T04:16:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T04:16:03","slug":"smokey-robinson-says-accusers-hurting-his-tour-for-settlement-leverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/smokey-robinson-says-accusers-hurting-his-tour-for-settlement-leverage\/","title":{"rendered":"Smokey Robinson Says Accusers Hurting His Tour for Settlement Leverage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\tSmokey Robinson claims in a new court filing that the former housekeepers suing him for rape are trying to slow-walk the lawsuit to gain maximum leverage for an extortionate settlement payout, including by dealing a financial blow to the Motown legend\u2019s ongoing tour.<\/p>\n

\n\tLawyers for the 85-year-old singer made this argument in a Thursday (June 12) motion to require the deposition of one of the four anonymous former housekeepers who allege he forced them to have sex at his Los Angeles-area home dozens of times over nearly two decades. Robinson adamantly denies the claims and has countersued the women for extortion, defamation and elder abuse.<\/p>\n

\n\tRobinson\u2019s attorney, Christopher Frost<\/strong>, says in the new court filing that the housekeepers are refusing to participate in evidence collection. He claims that the women\u2019s lawyer, John Harris<\/strong>, allegedly informed him that he wants to delay all discovery until they\u2019ve litigated a motion to strike Robinson\u2019s counterclaims, a lengthy process that could take months.<\/p>\n

\n\tFrost claims the housekeepers, who he says demanded $100 million from Robinson and his wife Frances before suing them both in May, are doing so as a tactic to maximize settlement leverage. According to the motion, this strategy is aimed at cutting into profits from Robinson\u2019s ongoing international tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of his album A Quiet Storm<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPlaintiffs have effectively conceded that their intention was to file a salacious lawsuit, do nothing to prosecute it, neuter the Robinsons\u2019 ability to defend themselves, and let the lawsuit linger publicly while the Robinsons have to live every day under the unfair specter of public opinion and while Mr. Robinson\u2019s tour is negatively affected,\u201d Frost writes.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis plays into plaintiffs and cross-defendants\u2019 strategy to exact leverage on Mr. and Ms. Robinson,\u201d Frost adds. \u201cThe longer Mr. Robinson\u2019s livelihood is harmed, the more pressure there is for the Robinsons to give in to plaintiffs\u2019 and cross-defendants\u2019 extortionate demands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFrost is asking for a court order requiring one of the four housekeepers, identified in court filings as \u201cJane Doe 2,\u201d to sit for a deposition at his Los Angeles law office within two weeks of the motion being heard. Frost says the women should also foot the bill for nearly $5,000 in legal fees the Robinsons have run up bringing this motion.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf plaintiffs and cross-defendants are not sanctioned for their abusive behavior, they will expect that they can continue this behavior during the pendency of this case, which will only create more delays and more motion practice,\u201d writes Frost. \u201cThe utilization of this strategy must be nipped in the bud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe housekeepers\u2019 lawyers released a statement on Friday (June 13) calling Robinson\u2019s motion to compel a \u201ccalculated effort to misuse the discovery process in a manner that is both retaliatory and chilling.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBy singling out Jane Doe 2 for a compelled deposition at this early stage, the defendant is engaging in a broader strategy of harassment and coercion \u2014 an attempt to retraumatize a survivor of sexual violence under the guise of lawful process,\u201d said attorneys John Harris and Herbert Hayden<\/strong>. \u201cThis motion is not about truth-seeking; it is about exerting power. It should be recognized for what it is: a transparent attempt to chill participation in this case and deter other survivors from coming forward. We remain steadfast in defending her rights and will hold the Robinsons accountable for any effort to subvert those rights through abusive and vexatious litigation tactics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to the civil lawsuit, the former Robinson housekeepers have also filed a police report against the singer. The Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department is now investigating the women\u2019s sexual assault claims.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis story was updated on June 13 at 11:22 p.m. ET to add a statement from the plaintiffs\u2019 lawyers.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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