The-Dream, a music producer and songwriter known for working closely with artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna and Usher, was accused of rape, sex trafficking and sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The lawsuit was filed by a former protégé of the producer named Channii Monroe, whose real name is Chanaaz Mangroe.
Mangroe alleges in the lawsuit that The-Dream, whose real name is Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, deceived her into believing he could help her career and that she was lured into an abusive relationship with him. Mangroe says Gesteelde-Diamant forced her to have sex on multiple occasions, forced her to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, physically assaulted her and threatened to share images of “an intimate encounter,” the New York newspaper said. Times reports.
“What Dream did to me made it impossible to live the life I imagined for myself and pursue my goals as a singer-songwriter,” Mangroe said in a statement to New York Times. “Ultimately, my silence became very painful and I realized that I need to tell my story to heal. I hope this also helps others and prevents future horrific abuse.”
Gesteelde-Diamant is an eight-time Grammy winner and has connections to some of the biggest pop stars in the world, having collaborated with Beyoncé on her two most recent albums, as well as producing songs such as Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, “All of the Lights” by Kanye West and “Baby” by Justin Bieber – just to name a few.
The suit says he used his position as a frequent collaborator with two of the world’s biggest pop stars and “lured the young, vulnerable artist into an abusive, violent and manipulative relationship filled with physical assaults, violent sexual encounters and horrific situations. psychological manipulation.”
TIME reached out to Gesteelde-Diamant representatives for comment but did not immediately receive a response. In a statement to New York TimesThe producer representative says: “These statements are false and defamatory. I oppose all forms of harassment and have always strived to help people achieve their professional goals. As someone committed to making a positive impact on my fellow artists and the world at large, I am deeply offended and saddened by these accusations.”
Mangroe is being represented by the two lawyers who helped Cassie Ventura file a lawsuit against Diddy, Douglas Wigdor and Meredith A. Firetog. The two lawyers said in a statement to Rolling Stone,” Dream, like Sean Combs did with Ms. Ventura and others, used his position as a prominent artist and producer to subject Ms. They continued, “Although she never fully recovers from what he and those who supported him did to her, her willingness to speak now is a testament to her extraordinary strength. We are honored to represent her.”
This is not the first time Gesteelde-Diamant has been accused of abuse. In 2014, he was charged with felonious assault and strangulation, reckless endangerment and child endangerment after it was reported that he kicked, punched and choked his girlfriend, who was then eight months pregnant. The charges were dropped and he was cleared.
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