Smokey Robinson was denied his request to unmask 4 ladies accusing him of sexual assault as their $50 million lawsuit strikes ahead below pseudonyms.

Smokey Robinson misplaced a key courtroom battle in Los Angeles, the place a decide dominated that 4 ladies accusing the Motown icon of sexual assault can transfer ahead with their $50 million lawsuit whereas protecting their identities hidden.

The plaintiffs, all former housekeepers, will probably be allowed to proceed below pseudonyms regardless of Robinson’s push to pressure them to disclose their actual names.

His authorized workforce argued the ladies forfeited their proper to anonymity after they appeared at a Might press convention sporting masks and sun shades.

Their attorneys stated the ladies, all Latina, hesitated to return ahead sooner attributable to fears of “reprisals” tied to their immigration standing.

For now, Los Angeles Superior Court docket Decide Gregory W. Brazile sided with the ladies, stating, “This early within the case, I don’t suppose their identities have to be revealed. Possibly later, however for now, you’re not harmed. who they’re.”

Smokey Robinson, 85, has denied all allegations and responded with a $500 million countersuit accusing the ladies of defamation and elder abuse.

“Via this course of we’ve seen the weird theatrics of yesterday’s information convention, because the plaintiffs’ attorneys outlined vile, false allegations towards Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, making an attempt to enlist the general public as an unwitting participant within the media circus they’re making an attempt to create,” Smokey Robinson’s lawyer Christopher Frost stated.

The trial is scheduled to start on October 11, 2027. Decide Brazile prioritized the case attributable to Robinson’s age, noting that almost all civil trials are scheduled three years out.

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