Smokey Robinson's $500M Countersuit Against 'Jane Doe' Accusers Partially Dismissed

Smokey Robinson's $500M legal clapback in an ongoing sexual-assault civil suit hit a major speed bump in court ... but it wasn't a total wipeout.

A Los Angeles judge dismissed several claims filed by Robinson and his wife, Frances -- including major defamation claims -- against the women publicly accusing him of sexual assault.

The judge this week found the women's allegations against the "legendary musician" were a matter of public interest ... noting their press conference was broadcast on YouTube, spread across social media, and picked up by major media outlets worldwide.

The court found Smokey failed to show the women acted with "actual malice" when publicly discussing the allegations ... knocking out several major pieces of his countersuit.

But Smokey isn't walking away empty-handed.

The judge allowed parts of his countersuit to survive -- including claims tied to allegations that employees stole personal property and deleted information from phones belonging to the Robinsons.

The Jane Does' attorney, John Harris, tells TMZ the ruling is a "powerful and unequivocal victory" for the women and that it clears the way for their case against Robinson to move forward on the merits and knocks out some major elements of his countersuit.

But Smokey's attorney Christopher Frost told us he strongly disagrees with the ruling ... saying, "Obviously we believe the Court's ruling is incorrect in the claims it did dismiss. (Some of our claims remain.)"

He added they believe there's "plenty of evidence of actual malice" by the women’s attorneys and said their main focus remains proving the accusations are "untrue and fabricated."

He also pointed to language in the ruling, noting "inconsistencies" in the women's testimony ... adding, "You can expect our continued focus on getting to the bottom of those stories."