Smokey Robinson Faced a Sexual Assault Allegation in 2015

A 2015 sexual assault allegation against the Motown singer Smokey Robinson was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, but no charges were filed because of insufficient evidence, the office said on Friday.

In a brief statement in response to inquiries from The New York Times, the district attorney’s office said that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had brought it the allegation in 2015. It did not provide further details, citing a criminal investigation that the sheriff’s office opened into Mr. Robinson this month.

News of a previous allegation comes weeks after four women filed a lawsuit accusing Mr. Robinson of sexually abusing them repeatedly over many years while they worked for him as housekeepers.

Three of the four women worked for the Robinson family in 2015, according to their court papers, but their lawyers, John Harris and Herbert Hayden, said on Friday that none of their clients made the 2015 allegation. The lawsuit identifies the plaintiffs as Jane Does 1 through 4.

Lawyers for Mr. Robinson have denied the allegations against him and filed a cross-complaint on Wednesday suing the women and their lawyers for defamation. One of those lawyers, Christopher Frost, said on Friday that he and his team were “pleased” that “the L.A. district attorney has confirmed there was no basis to file charges a decade ago.”

“One unfortunate aspect of celebrity is that it is not uncommon to be the target of spurious and unsubstantiated allegations,” the statement continued.

A spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Department confirmed it had handled a 2015 allegation in the manner described by the district attorney’s office but did not provide additional details.