Attorneys for six people suing the Motown legend say he has been stalling discovery and improperly invoking the Fifth Amendment in a civil sexual assault case.
The civil sexual assault lawsuit against Motown legend Smokey Robinson took a significant turn this week when attorneys representing his accusers filed four motions asking a judge to step in and force the case forward. The filings came Tuesday, and they raise pointed allegations about how Robinson and his wife, Frances Robinson, have been participating in the discovery process.
John Harris, the attorney representing Jane Does 1 through 4, filed the motions after what he describes as months of incomplete responses and repeated delays from the Robinson side. Harris contends the discovery responses have been deliberately evasive and structured to slow the progress of the case rather than comply with California’s discovery rules. He says the court’s intervention is now necessary to compel transparency and allow the alleged victims to move forward.
The Fifth Amendment dispute
One of the more notable claims in the new filings involves Robinson’s use of the Fifth Amendment. Harris argues that Robinson has been invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination in response to routine questions in the civil case. In criminal proceedings, the Fifth Amendment is a foundational protection. In civil litigation, attorneys for the plaintiffs argue that using it as a broad shield against ordinary discovery questions is an improper strategy that obstructs the process.
Harris also drew a contrast between how the two sides have participated in the case. He says all six accusers, identified as Jane Does 1 through 5 and John Doe 1, have completed depositions, with some sitting for questioning as many as four times. He described the depositions as involving intrusive questioning and what he characterized as retaliatory accusations, but said the plaintiffs complied regardless.
The countersuit and what it signals
Harris pointed to Robinson’s $500 million countersuit against the accusers and their legal team as evidence of an effort to intimidate the plaintiffs into abandoning the case. A countersuit of that scale in response to a civil claim draws immediate attention, and Harris framed it as a pressure tactic rather than a substantive legal argument.
Robinson’s legal team pushed back directly. His attorney, Christopher Frost, rejected the characterizations entirely, arguing that the discovery motions are routine legal filings being amplified for media purposes and that the timing, which coincides with Robinson announcing new tour dates, was deliberate. Frost described what he called obstruction and delays originating from the plaintiffs’ side and said his team has had to repeatedly seek court intervention to keep the process moving, including efforts to obtain deposition transcripts and complete cell phone imaging.
The two sides are presenting the situation in nearly opposite terms, with each accusing the other of being the primary obstacle to progress.
Background on the case
Robinson was first sued in May 2025 by four former housekeepers who accused him of sexual battery and other misconduct while they worked in his home. Two additional accusers, including a male former employee, sought to join the lawsuit later that year, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to six. Robinson has denied all allegations. His legal team has consistently framed the lawsuit as an organized effort to extract money from a prominent public figure, a characterization the accusers and their attorneys dispute.
The case is now deep into discovery, the pretrial process during which both sides exchange evidence and sit for depositions. The four motions filed Tuesday represent an attempt to use the court’s authority to force compliance rather than continue negotiations that Harris says have not been productive.
A judge has not yet ruled on the motions. How the court responds will likely determine the pace of the case from here and whether both sides are forced into tighter compliance with California’s civil discovery standards.
Story credit: TMZ