The-Dream, a singer and producer who has worked with Beyoncé, Rihanna and others, was hit with a sex-trafficking lawsuit Tuesday (June 4) that accuses him of subjecting a young songwriter to an “abusive, violent and manipulative relationship.” which included an alleged rape incident.
In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, Chanaaz Mangroe claims the producer (Terius Gesteelde-Diamant) used promises of career advancement to lure a “young and vulnerable artist” into “a prolonged nightmare” filled with “violent sexual acts ».
“For over a year, Ms. Mangroe has experienced trauma from which she has yet to recover – she is broken as an artist, in constant fear for her physical safety, and plagued by reminders of the violence and control she experienced at the hands of Dream, who continued his successful career unscathed by his horrific actions,” her lawyers write.
In addition to numerous allegations of rough sex, the lawsuit includes an allegation that The-Dream raped Mangroe in May 2015. Her lawyers say he pinned her inside a Sprinter truck, began “forcibly having sex with her” and choked her so severely that she possibly lost consciousness.
Representatives for The-Dream did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday.
In addition to five studio albums of his own, The-Dream has credits on a wide range of hits, including Rihanna's 2007 'Umbrella' and Beyonce's 2008 chart-topper 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It').' also worked with Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Kanye West and many other stars.
Mangroe, originally from the Netherlands, claims The-Dream contacted her in 2014 when she was just 23 years old and working in the United States on an international visa. After sending samples of her work, he says he invited her to Atlanta to work with him and his production partner, Tricky Stewart.
Over time, her lawyers say The-Dream “used his age and influence in the industry to manipulate the young artist into believing he needed him to succeed.” They say he promised to help her secure a visa extension, sign a record deal with a major label and even offered her the chance to open for Beyonce's upcoming tour.
But in reality, her lawyers say The-Dream “used Ms. Mangroe for his base desires, which manifested themselves in violent sexual acts and vicious psychological torture.” In addition to the alleged rape, they say he often forcibly choked her during sex, “struck” her during sex and used recordings of their sex to “threaten Ms. Mangroe into silence.”
“Nearly a decade later, Ms. Mangroe is still putting the pieces of her life together, but she knows that without talking about what Dream did to her, she will never be able to heal from the harm he caused her,” he said. the lawyers write. “So she's filing this lawsuit to speak up for herself and other female artists who have been victimized by powerful and selfish men in the record industry.
In addition to The-Dream, the lawsuit also names Sony Music's Epic Records as a defendant, arguing that the producer's “depraved behavior” was facilitated by the company. The lawsuit alleges that Epic “benefited from facilitating his conduct to the extent that it kept their relationship with the talented musician viable and ensured continued profit from his work.”
Representatives for both Epic and parent company Sony Music did not immediately return requests for comment on Tuesday.
The lawsuit was filed by Douglas Wigdor, a New York attorney known for representing alleged sexual assault victims. Wigdor's company has filed numerous music industry abuse cases in recent months, including the bombshell case against Sean “Diddy” Combs filed by his ex-partner Cassie.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/the-dream-rape-allegations-lawsuit/