Smokey Robinson has claimed one of his civil lawsuit accusers recently raided his storage unit.
In May, four former female housekeepers sued the R&B and soul icon and his wife Frances for $50 million (£37 million), alleging they were subjected to sexual battery, assault, and false imprisonment from 2012 to 2024.
Robinson, 85, denied all allegations, and a short time later, filed a $500 million (£375 million) counter-complaint against the anonymous women accusing them of slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and financial elder abuse.
In an update to the case, Robinson’s lawyers filed a motion in a Los Angeles court on Monday in which they alleged the plaintiff known as Jane Doe 4 kept a key to the family’s storage unit and accessed it in on 22 November without prior permission.
“Ms. Robinson was then shown security footage depicting three individuals at or inside the storage unit for approximately 40 minutes, including one whom she immediately recognized as Jane Doe 4, seen removing boxes and other property of the Robinsons into a vehicle,” they wrote, according to Billboard.
In addition, the Cruisin’ hitmaker’s attorney, Christopher Frost, alleged the plaintiff took “thousands of dollars’ worth of personal property” from the unit and that it was a “brazenly criminal act”. They are seeking a restraining order against her.
Responding to the filing, a lawyer acting for the plaintiffs, John W. Harris, denied that Jane Doe 4 “ever visited” the unit since ending her employment for the Robinsons.
Last month, two further employees, a man who served as a car valet and a female housekeeper, also joined the original lawsuit.
Meanwhile, a criminal investigation into the allegations is being undertaken by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, though no charges have been filed as yet.
