The-Dream faces rape allegations in new trial

The-Dream, a singer and producer who has worked with Beyoncé, Rihanna and others, was the subject of a sex trafficking lawsuit Tuesday (June 4) that accuses him of subjecting a young songwriter to a “abusive, violent and manipulative relationship” that included an alleged incident of rape.

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 more than a year, Ms. Mangroe experienced trauma from which she has still not recovered: she is broken as an artist, in constant fear for her physical safety, and plagued by reminders of the violence and of the control she suffered at the hands of Dream, who continued his successful career unscathed by his horrific actions,” her lawyers write.

In addition to numerous allegations of violent sex, the lawsuit includes an allegation that The-Dream raped Mangroe in May 2015. His lawyers say he cornered her in a sprinter van, began “having sex “forcibly had sex with her” and strangled her so intensely that she potentially lost consciousness.

Representatives for The-Dream did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

In addition to his five studio albums, The-Dream is responsible for a wide range of hits, including Rihanna's 2007 hit “Umbrella” and Beyoncé's 2008 chart hit “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. He has 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 and working in the United States on an international visa. After sending samples of his work, she says he invited her to Atlanta to work with him and his producing partner, Tricky Stewart.

Over time, his lawyers claim, The-Dream “used his age and influence in the industry to manipulate the young artist into believing she needed him to succeed.” They say he promised to help her get a visa extension, sign a recording contract with a major label and even offered her a chance to open for Beyoncé's upcoming tour.

But in reality, his lawyers claim 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 claim he frequently subjected her to violent choking during sex, “reprimanded” her during sex, and used recordings of their sexual encounters to “threaten Ms. Mangroe with silence her.”

“Nearly a decade later, Ms. Mangroe is still putting her life together, but she knows that without talking about what Dream did to her, she will never be able to heal the harm he caused.” , she said. write the lawyers. “So she is filing this lawsuit to speak for herself and other female artists who have been tormented by powerful, selfish men in the recording 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 claims that Epic “benefited from facilitating his conduct to the extent that it helped keep their relationship with the talented musician viable and ensured continued profit from his work.”

Representatives for Epic and parent company Sony Music did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

The lawsuit was filed by Douglas Wigdor, a New York lawyer known for representing alleged victims of sexual assault. Wigdor's firm has filed numerous abuse complaints against music industry figures in recent months, including the explosive case against Sean “Diddy” Combs filed by his ex-partner Cassie.