Smokey Robinson’s Defamation Claims Thrown Out in Sexual Assault Legal Battle
A judge says there isn’t sufficient evidence for the Motown legend’s accusers to face defamation liability. It’s not a ruling on the veracity of the rape claims.
Black News 
A Los Angeles judge has dismissed Smokey Robinson’s defamation counterclaims against former employees suing the Motown legend for sexual abuse.
In a ruling on Thursday (April 23), Judge Kevin C. Brazile said there isn’t sufficient evidence to hold Robinson’s former anonymous housekeepers and their lawyers liable for calling the singer a rapist at a press conference last year. The decision is not a ruling on the veracity of the women’s underlying sexual assault allegations; it’s focused only on the defamation claims, which are subject to a higher pleading standard due to free speech laws.
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In California, a public figure can only move forward with defamation claims if they provide evidence showing that their adversary acted with “actual malice,” meaning that this person knew a statement was false when they said it. Here, Judge Brazile said Robinson did not meet that standard after deposing the housekeepers.
“There is evidence supporting the Robinsons, including inconsistencies and unusual circumstances, like encouraging a sister to work after the assaults,” wrote the judge. “However, the evidence of actual malice does not approach the clear and convincing standard. A jury could credit the testimony of the plaintiffs, including recalling that they reminded Smokey to stop the assaults because he had a wife. Because cross-complainants failed to show actual malice, they did not show a reasonable probability of prevailing on their defamation claims.”
Robinson still has separate counterclaims pending against the housekeepers for allegedly deleting evidence and stealing from his family. Those claims are moving forward through discovery alongside the women’s core sexual assault allegations, with a trial scheduled for 2027.
A lawyer for the accusers, John Harris, said in a statement that Thursday’s ruling “stands as a powerful and unequivocal victory for our clients and for survivors everywhere who refuse to be silenced.”
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“The court saw this $500 million countersuit for what it is — a blatant, retaliatory attempt to intimidate, discredit and punish women for speaking out about sexual assault,” added Harris. “California’s anti-SLAPP law exists to stop exactly this kind of abuse of the legal system, where wealth and power are used as weapons against those seeking accountability. Today, the court made clear that such tactics will not be tolerated.”
Robinson’s attorney, Christopher Frost, said in his own statement on Thursday, “Obviously we believe the court’s ruling is incorrect in the claims it did dismiss. There is plenty of evidence of actual malice on the part of the attorneys.”
“More fundamentally, our focus remains on showing that the Jane Does’ claims are untrue and fabricated,” Frost continued. “Even the court, in its ruling, recognized the numerous inconsistencies in their testimony. Even though some of our claims were dismissed on a technicality today, it remains true that the Jane Does have a lot of trouble with their stories. You can expect our continued focus on getting to the bottom of those stories.”
The legal battle began last May, when the four unnamed women filed a $50 million lawsuit alleging the 85-year-old artist had sexually abused them between 2007 and 2024. Later on, another female housekeeper and a male car mechanic joined the lawsuit anonymously with additional assault claims.
Robinson vehemently denied all wrongdoing, saying the “vile, false allegations” were merely “an ugly method of trying to extract money.” He countersued the accusers within weeks.
The plaintiffs also filed police reports after they sued Robinson, leading the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to open a criminal investigation. No charges have been brought to date.
