A judge has indicated he is poised to deny sanctions for one of the six plaintiffs who have accused legendary singer Smokey Robinson of sexual misconduct while they worked in the entertainer’s household.
Christopher Frost and other attorneys for Robinson and his wife, Frances Robinson, have said in their court papers that the plaintiffs’ allegations in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit are part of an “organized, avaricious campaign to extract money from an 85-year-old legend.”
In court papers previously filed with Judge Kevin Brazile in advance of an April 7 hearing, Frost and his team contend that an original plaintiff known only as Jane Doe 4 had repeatedly avoided being deposed and therefore should face a possible default judgment. At minimum, her individual claims should be assessed sanctions limiting what evidence can be presented on her behalf, according to the Robinson lawyers.
But in a tentative ruling issued in advance of a hearing Tuesday, Brazile notes that Doe 4 has now given the deposition, that levying the sanctions sought by the defense would be “impermissibly punitive” and that the punishment should only be handed down as a last resort.
In addition, Robinson’s lawyers have not shown a “history of abuse” by Doe 4 or that her conduct has rendered a fair trial impossible, especially given that the deposition has now been completed, according to Brazile.
The Robinson lawyers had recommended in their court papers that if the judge was not leaning to imposing harsh sanctions at this time, he should at the very least bar her testimony during the scheduled Oct. 11, 2027, trial.
According to the suit filed last May 6, the four original plaintiffs contend the alleged abuses occurred at the 85-year-old Motown icon’s Chatsworth home and elsewhere. The two newer plaintiffs are identified as Jane Doe 5 and John Doe 1 and joined the case in November.