Smokey Robinson Can’t Unmask His Rape Accusers — Yet

A justice ruled that the erstwhile housekeepers accusing Smokey Robinson of rape tin enactment anonymous astatine this signifier of the lawsuit, which is scheduled to spell to proceedings successful 2027.

During a proceeding successful Los Angeles tribunal connected Thursday (Sept. 11), the 85-year-old Motown vocalist mislaid his bid to unmask 4 women who sued him for rape nether “Jane Doe” pseudonyms earlier this year. While Robinson knows the names of these women, who allege they were assaulted portion moving arsenic his housekeepers, the vocalist and his lawyers are not presently allowed to uncover the women’s identities to the public.

Robinson vehemently denies raping the women and has countersued them for defamation. His attorneys person besides been trying to triumph the lawsuit successful the tribunal of nationalist sentiment — and accidental de-anonymizing them is cardinal to that endeavor.

“They privation to marque a precise nationalist concern retired of this, and past they privation to fell the disfigured facts, the contradictory facts,” Robinson’s main lawyer, Christopher Frost, told Judge Kevin C. Brazile connected Thursday.

Frost said his squad has learned accusation that bears connected the credibility of the plaintiffs — including that 2 of them are sisters — and added it’s not just that he’s incapable to afloat stock these details with the public. But Judge Brazile was unconvinced.

“For now, this aboriginal connected successful this case, I don’t deliberation their identities request to beryllium revealed,” said the judge. “Maybe later… For now, let’s conscionable support it presumption quo. I’m not saying it’s going to enactment that mode passim the full litigation.”

Judge Brazile said he’ll apt let an objection to this regularisation of anonymity truthful that Robinson’s lawyers tin usage the women’s names connected witnesser subpoenas. He besides noted that the plaintiffs’ identities volition travel retired erstwhile the lawsuit goes to proceedings successful October 2027.

The 2027 proceedings day is caller arsenic of Thursday’s hearing. Though 2 years seems acold away, it’s really sooner than the three-year mean hold clip for trials successful Judge Brazile’s courtroom. The justice sped the timeline up somewhat owed to Robinson’s precocious property — though Frost said the vocalist is “in amended signifier than I am.”

“You accidental Mr. Robinson is successful bully wellness and that’s great, but 3 years is simply a agelong time,” Judge Brazile told Frost successful explaining his determination to expedite the case.

The bitter ineligible combat began successful May, erstwhile the erstwhile housekeepers filed a $50 cardinal civilian suit claiming Robinson forced them to person oral and vaginal enactment successful his chamber dozens of times betwixt 2007 and 2024.

The 4 Jane Does past made a police report to Los Angeles transgression authorities, followed by a fifth woman 2 months later. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is inactive investigating the substance and has not filed immoderate charges.  

Robinson maintains that helium ne'er touched these women, and that they conco...