Music producer The-Dream accused of rape and sexual assault

The-Dream, a music producer and songwriter known for working closely with artists like Beyoncé, Rihanna and Usher, has been accused of rape, sex trafficking and sexual assault in a lawsuit filed before the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint 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, misled her into believing he could help her career and that she was lured into a relationship abusive to him. Mangroe claims Gesteelde-Diamant repeatedly forced her to have sex, forced her to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, physically assaulted her and threatened to share footage of an “intimate encounter ”, according to the New York Times. Times reports.

“What Dream did to me prevented me from living the life I envisioned and pursuing my goals as a singer and songwriter,” Mangroe said in a statement to The New York Times. Times. “Ultimately, my silence became too painful and I realized I had to tell my story to heal. I hope this will also help others and prevent future horrible abuse.

Gesteelde-Diamant is an eight-time Grammy winner and has ties to some of the world's biggest pop stars, having collaborated with Beyoncé on her two most recent albums and producing songs like Rihanna's “Umbrella,” “All of the Lights” by Kanye West and “Baby” by Justin Bieber, to name a few.

The lawsuit says he used his position as a frequent collaborator with two of the world's biggest pop stars and “lured the vulnerable young artist into an abusive, violent and manipulative relationship filled with physical assault, violent sexual encounters and 'horrible psychological manipulation. »

TIME reached out to Gesteelde-Diamant representatives for comment but did not immediately receive a response. In a statement to the New York Times, a representative for the producer said: “These claims are false and defamatory. I oppose all forms of harassment and have always sought to help people achieve 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. »

Mangroe is represented by the two attorneys 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. Mangroe to violent physical, psychological and sexual abuse.” They continued: “Although she will never fully recover from what he and those who supported him did to her, her willingness to speak out now is proof of 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 assault and strangulation, reckless endangerment and child endangerment after it was reported that he had kicked, punched punched and choked his then eight-month pregnant girlfriend. The charges were dropped and he was exonerated.