Grammy-winning producer and songwriter The-Dream has been accused of rape and sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles.
The 47-year-old, whose real name is Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, was named as the defendant in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by his former protégé, Chanaaz Mangroe, who performed under the stage name Channii Monroe.
The lawsuit alleges that Gesteelde-Diamant repeatedly coerced Mangroe into sexual acts, strangled her, and once recorded an intimate encounter, later threatening to share the footage with others.
Diamant, known for writing songs for artists like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Mariah Carey, has denied the accusations.
The 60-page lawsuit reportedly indicates that Mangroe is seeking compensation for “lost wages” and for “mental pain and anguish and severe emotional distress.”
She came from the Netherlands to the US to pursue a career as a singer and songwriter, and she says in the lawsuit that she first met Diamant in January 2015.
The 33-year-old alleges that he subjected her to “violent sexual encounters” that left her with bruises, forced her to consume “excessive amounts of alcohol”, strangled her until she “almost lost consciousness”, coerced her into sexual acts in a movie theater, and raped her in a renovated sprinter van.
She also claims that he promised to make her as successful as Beyoncé and Rihanna. The lawsuit states that within days of their initial meeting, Mangroe alleges that Diamant began pressuring her for sex, insisting it was “part of the process.”
She said he locked her in a dark room and “would only stop aggressively having sex with her once she said that she loved him”.
Mangroe said choosing to speak “has been one of the most difficult decisions of my life.
“But ultimately, what Dream did to me made it impossible to live the life I envisioned for myself and pursue my goals as a singer and songwriter.
“Ultimately, my silence has become too painful, and I realised that I need to tell my story to heal.
“I hope that doing so will also help others and prevent future horrific abuse.”
A representative from Diamant supplied a statement where he said the allegations are “untrue and defamatory”.
The statement further stated, “I oppose all forms of harassment and have always strived to help people realise their career 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.”
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