The-Dream, songwriter of Beyoncé and Rihanna, prosecuted for sex trafficking and rape

The-Dream – a musician and producer who has created huge hits with Beyoncé, Rihanna and more – has been sued by a former protégé for sex trafficking, sexual battery and rape.

Plaintiff Chanaaz Mangroe, also known by the stage name Channii Monroe, alleged in the complaint filed Tuesday that The-Dream lured her into an “abusive, violent and manipulative relationship filled with physical assault, violent sexual intercourse and “horrible psychological manipulation” based on the promise that he would help her with a “legitimate recording and publishing contract.”

These instances, Mangroe claims, include the producer frequently strangling her, repeatedly forcing her to engage in sexual acts, and threatening to silence her by using recordings of the two during intimate encounters.

The lawsuit says The-Dream's “depraved behavior was facilitated” by his label, Contra Paris LLC, and Epic Records, which Dream “convinced to invest” in Mangroe. Both labels are also listed as defendants in the lawsuit.

“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.” , declared it suitable for the States. “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. She seeks justice and accountability to prevent further horrible abuse like she experienced, and to regain her self-esteem as an artist and as a woman.”

In a statement provided by a representative for The New York Times, Dream said the allegations made in the suit were “false and defamatory.”

“I oppose all forms of harassment and have always strived to help people achieve their career goals. As someone committed to having a positive impact on my fellow artists and the world at large, I am deeply offended and saddened by these accusations.”

Dream, real name Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, is an eight-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer behind some of the biggest pop and R&B hits like Rihanna's “Umbrella,” Ye, “Baby” by Justin Bieber. ” and Mariah Carey's “Touch My Body.” He has also worked on every one of Beyoncé's albums since 2008 and wrote some of her biggest hits like “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” and “Break My Soul” .

In her 60-page lawsuit, Mangroe said she only knew of his reputation as an accomplished songwriter, not his alleged history of misogyny and violence against women. She mentions several domestic violence arrests involving The-Dream, including one in 2014 in which he was charged with assault and strangulation, reckless endangerment and endangering his pregnant girlfriend's children. Mangroe says The-Dream “publicly insisted” that his then-girlfriend filed the complaint only to protect his immigration status.

Mangroe was also an immigrant when she met The-Dream in 2015, the same year the Netherlands native's O-1B songwriting visa ended with a U.S.-based production company.

The plaintiff said she met The-Dream after her childhood friend and personal security detail asked her to share his music. Shortly after their first meeting, The-Dream offered to sign her to Contra, and she said he explained that she needed a new petitioner to renew her visa for the next three years. He assured her that Contra would take on the role, according to the suit.

“Ms. Mangroe, then only 23 years old and living in an entirely new and alluring world, truly believed that all her dreams were about to come true. Unfortunately, she would soon learn that this was only the beginning of a long nightmare,” the lawsuit states.

Mangroe alleges that Dream told her she had to “belong to him” so they could become the next “Bey and Jay,” referring to Beyoncé and Jay-Z. She says he “regularly” used his admiration for the singer as a form of manipulation and told her he was only successful with Beyoncé because they created a “sanctuary” together, which compelled Mangroe to “disclose all his secrets and thoughts and become” trusted partners with him. The plaintiff said this “sanctuary” relationship meant he kept good records for Beyoncé instead of Rihanna, who he said was “frustrated” by the situation.

Mangroe said The-Dream soon began pressuring her to have sex as “part of the process”, and she became convinced that she “needed” him to succeed in music , thus becoming ready to take “any direction of his own”.

This manifested itself in her allegedly using drugs and alcohol at his request and being forced to have violent sex with him. On one occasion, she said he locked her in a room “naked, in the dark”, and afterwards she said he refused to wear protection despite her requests and asked her to stop taking contraception. Mangroe says The-Dream became increasingly violent and controlling during intimate encounters, as she became more dependent on him for food and shelter.

The plaintiff alleges that The-Dream often placed a gun next to her during sex, which she considered a “warning.” In another instance, Mangroe said she was forced to have “physically painful” sex with The-Dream while at a movie theater with other patrons, and that same evening, she alleges he cornered her in a tour van and forced her to have sex during which she believes she lost consciousness.

The plaintiff claims that these actions in which the defendants “participated in and facilitated her accommodation and transportation” for the “purpose of sexual relations induced by force, fraud and coercion” constitute sex trafficking which, according to her, they all benefited financially.

It's a similar claim made in a recent lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs. Mangroe's lawyers also represented Casandra Ventura, also known as singer Cassie, who sued Combs in November over allegations of repeated physical and sexual abuse. The lawsuit was settled shortly afterward, but the allegations recently resurfaced after a video of Combs assaulting Ventura in a hotel hallway was published by CNN.

Mangroe's attorneys mentioned the case and multiple other cases against Combs in a statement to Scripps News partner Court TV.

“This is yet another horrific example of how men in the music industry use their power and influence to manipulate and harm others,” Douglas H. Wigdor and Meredith Firetog, partners at Wigdor LLP, said in a statement. . “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. Even though she did not will never fully recover from what he and those others suffered, who supported him, her willingness to speak out now is proof of her extraordinary strength. We are honored to represent her.

Mangroe also shared a statement with Court TV.

“Choosing to speak out about the trauma I survived was one of the hardest decisions of my life, but ultimately what Dream did to me made it impossible for me to live the life I “I was planning for myself and pursuing my goals as a singer and songwriter,” the statement read. “Ultimately, my silence became too painful and I realized I needed to tell my story to heal. I hope it will also help others and prevent future horrific abuse.”

She is seeking a monetary judgment including consequential damages, lost wages, income and other amounts lost as a result of The-Dream's alleged abuse.