Smokey Robinson is finally speaking out at length about those shocking sexual assault allegations. And trust us when we say, his response is exactly not what we expected to hear. In fact…it’s bit off-putting.
As we told you, in May, four women accused the Motown legend of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment. His wife, Frances, was also named in the suit. The women in particular were all allegedly former housekeepers of Robinson who claimed that his wife had “full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct” but “failed to take the appropriate corrective action” to prevent “deviant misconduct” from Robinson. They’re seeking $5o million in damages.
At the time, Robinson’s lawyers put out an initial statement, calling the accusations “vile,” “false,” and an “ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon.” Robinson only said that he was appalled by them but said nothing more after that.
He also filed a $500 million defamation countersuit against his accusers, citing allegations of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, financial elder abuse and more.
As for the “Cruisin’” singer, he’s said very few words about the lawsuit — until now. Speaking to TMZ in a brief interview over the weekend, the iconic singer addressed how he was doing in the aftermath of the shocking suit.
“Everything is absolutely wonderful, I feel great,” Robinson said. (We would think a looming multi-million dollar suit with some extremely serious allegations would be something of slight concern here, but we digress.)
Specifically referencing the lawsuit, Robinson explained: “It’s happening everywhere, man. You know? If it was going to happen to me then it happened at a great time because it’s happening to everybody. And it’s bullsh*t. I’m good.”
When the outlet asked him if he was concerned that the allegations would affect his legacy even if it were true or untrue, the “Tears of a Clown” singer said that so far, it hasn’t panned out that way.
“People know me man,” he said with a smile before stepping into a car.
The post Wow…You’ll Never Believe How Smokey Robinson Responded to Those Shocking Sexual Assault Allegations appeared first on The Root.
