Smokey Robinson has claimed that a woman who accused him of rape broke into his storage unit, video footage of which her lawyer has said could be an “AI fabrication”.
The first claims of wrongdoing were raised against the singer and ex-Motown Records executive and his wife back in March. It was brought forward by four women, who claimed that the 85-year-old committed sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment during their time working as housekeepers between 2007 to April 2024.
These original claims saw both Smokey and his wife Frances sued for a total of $50million (£37.5million) in damages, and through his lawyer, Christopher Frost, Robinson denied all claims as “vile”, “false” and “an ugly method of trying to extract money”.
Now, one of the women who is suing the singer for sexual assault has denied she is the one allegedly caught on “blurry” footage video raiding Robinson’s southern California storage unit.
Robinson and Frances have accused the woman, identified in court filings as Jane Doe 4, of accessing their unit without permission late last month and stealing multiple boxes in a burglary supposedly caught on video.
The Robinsons’ lawyer told a judge Thursday (December 11) that Frances had looked over footage, identified the culprit as Jane Doe 4, filed a police report, and was now seeking an emergency restraining order.
“It’s blurry, like security tapes are, but it’s clear to Mrs Robinson who it was,” Frost said during a hearing, per Rolling Stone. “You have to know the code, and you have to have a key to the lock. The only person who had that code and that key was Jane Doe 4.”
Her lawyer denied the claim, saying: “Our client has flatly denied any sort of involvement with this alleged burglary,” and added that Frost was yet to produce the video. “It’s completely and patently false.”
Los Angeles County Judge Kevin C. Brazile declined to issue a restraining order.
After the hearing, Jane Doe 4’s lawyer reiterated his client’s denial to Rolling Stone, saying that if she was seen clearly depicted in the video, it could be “some type of AI fabrication”. His co-counsel added that that she was at work when the break-in allegedly occurred, and had not been contacted by investigators.
“The allegation that the video is somehow fabricated is false, desperate, and candidly, unethical,” Frost said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “This is not a game. The video is the same one provided to us by the storage facility. If the Jane Does will waive their confidentiality arguments, we will share the video beyond the court.
“The court already has it, and so does the LAPD.”
Jane Doe 4 was one of the four former domestic workers who sued the Robinsons for $50 million in May, alleging sexual harassment, rape, and a hostile work environment.
After the first allegations arose, Robinson filed a counterclaim against the four women, and claimed that they “fabricated” instances of sexual assault in a bid to extort money from him and his wife.
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.