Smokey Robinson under criminal investigation after sexual assault claims

Motown fable Smokey Robinson is nether transgression probe successful Los Angeles implicit accusations of intersexual assault.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed it had launched a ceremonial enquiry into the allegations, saying the probe was successful the "early stages".

The probe comes aft a suit was filed past week by 4 anonymous housekeepers against the 85-year-old singer-songwriter, accusing him intersexual battery, mendacious imprisonment, negligence and sex violence.

Mr Robinson has denied the allegations. His lawyer has said those down the accusations are aft the musician's money, and helium welcomed the constabulary probe "because vulnerability to the information is simply a almighty thing".

"We consciousness assured that a determination volition beryllium made that Mr Robinson did thing wrong, and that this is simply a hopeless effort to prejudice nationalist sentiment and marque adjacent much of a media circus than the Plaintiffs were antecedently capable to create," the attorney, Christopher Frost, said successful a connection to the BBC.

He argued the constabulary probe was lone opened due to the fact that the plaintiffs filed a ceremonial study with their allegations and said the claims were "manufactured" and designed to "tarnish the bully names" of the instrumentalist and his wife, who is besides named successful the lawsuit and accused of contributing to a hostile enactment environment.

The sheriff's section told the BBC successful a connection that its Special Victims Bureau was "actively investigating transgression allegations involving William Robinson AKA 'Smokey Robinson.' The probe is successful the aboriginal stages, and we person nary further comment."

The women filed a lawsuit successful Los Angeles Superior Court connected 6 May nether the pseudonyms Jane Doe 1, 2, 3 and 4.

In the 27-page ineligible action, they allege respective incidents that they accidental dated backmost to 2006, and impeach Mr Robinson of pressuring them into sex.

All 4 women, who are of Hispanic descent, said they had not travel guardant until present due to the fact that they feared losing their livelihoods, familial reprisal oregon embarrassment. Some were acrophobic the allegations could impact their migration status.

They are seeking astatine slightest $50m (£38m) successful damages and a assemblage trial.

Mr Robinson was Motown's archetypal hitmaker, penning fig 1 records similar Mary Wells' My Guy and The Temptations' My Girl.

He was some a endowment scout for the grounds statement and 1 of its astir salient signaling artists successful his ain right, known for songs similar Tracks of My Tears, Shop Around and Tears of a Clown.

He has spots successful some the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and claims to person credits connected much than 4,000 songs.

The women's lawyers held a property league past week aft filing the lawsuit, accusing Mr Robinson of being a "serial and sick rapist" who "must beryllium stopped".

Mr Robinson's ineligible squad called the lawsuit a "bizarre" attempt "to enlist the nationalist arsenic an unwitting subordinate successful the media circus they are trying to create".

"We volition person much to accidental successful the coming days arsenic we marque our ineligible response, and successful clip Mr Robinson volition respond successful his ain words," Mr Frost said, noting that the musician's ineligible squad plans to inquire for the lawsuit to beryllium dismissed.

"We inquire anyone pursuing this lawsuit to reserve judgement arsenic the grounds comes to airy and each the existent facts of the lawsuit unfold."