The Motown singer and his wife have denied the allegations from the outset and say the claimants have fabricated their account for the purpose of extortion

Smokey Robinson has filed a $500m (£370m) defamation lawsuit against the four former housekeepers who accused the Motown star of sexual assault earlier this month.

Retaining anonymity, the women characterised Robinson, 85, as a “serial and sick rapist” who had assaulted them on multiple occasions between 2007 and 2024 at three different locations. Their lawyers said that “as low-wage workers in vulnerable positions, they lacked the resources and options necessary to protect themselves from sexual assaults”.