A judge has ruled that the five former housekeepers of Smokey Robinson, who have accused him of sexual assault, are allowed to move forward with the case anonymously.
Robinson’s legal team filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the women’s complaint unless they refile under their real names, claiming that they had waived their right to anonymity by appearing at a May 6 press conference wearing masks and sunglasses.
Robinson, who is countersuing the Jane Does with a $500 million defamation and elder abuse cross-complaint, says the women and their attorneys shouldn’t get to “pick and choose” which facts to make public. At that press conference, lawyers revealed the women are Latina, earn “below minimum wage,” and said they were too afraid to come forward sooner because of their legal status in the country.
“We learned that Jane Doe No. 3 is the sister of Jane Doe 2, and she brought Jane Doe 2 to the employment of the Robinsons four years after she claims to have already been sexually assaulted. That’s the kind of information they want to hide,” attorney Christopher Frost argued. “We also learned that Jane Doe 3 did nothing to find another job for 12 years, then had another job and left it to come back to the Robinsons. That’s all during the time they were claiming they were being sexually assaulted. That’s the type of information they don’t want the public to know.”
Los Angeles County Judge Kevin C. Brazile ultimately sided with the women but added that he may revisit the decision at a later date. A trial date has been set for October 11, 2027.