Former protégé sues The-Dream, accusing the hit music producer of sexual assault

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Former The-Dream protégé, Grammy-winning author and producer of some of the band’s biggest hits Beyonce AND Rihannaamongst other things, he filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing him of sexual assault and other forms of harassment.

Chanaaz Mangroe, who went by the stage name Channii Monroe, claims in her lawsuit that The-Dream, whose legal name is Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, lured her into an “abusive, brutal and manipulative relationship filled with physical assaults and brutal sexual contact.” and terrible psychological manipulation” after she left her native Netherlands for the United States in the hope of becoming famous as a singer.

Stolen diamond, an eight-time Grammy Award winner who wrote and produced huge hits including Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” Justin Bieber Rihanna’s “Baby” and “Umbrella” deny the allegations.

Mangroe, 33, claims that a representative of Gesteelde-Diamant contacted her on social media in 2014 and asked to send samples of her music, and that the producer took her to Atlanta early next 12 months, promising to assist her along with her profession.

According to the lawsuit, Gesteelde-Diamant began recording along with her and “told her he would make her the next Beyoncé and Rihanna,” but that she would need to share intimate and embarrassing details with him and permit him complete control over her. Even though he was married, Mangroe claims he told her they might turn out to be a famous couple who won 10 Grammy Awards together.

Mangroe alleges that for greater than a 12 months, Gesteelde-Diamant pressured her and compelled her to make use of drugs and alcohol excessively, had violent sex along with her without her consent, raped her at times and kept her locked in a room for long stretches. She says he brutally controlled her, forcing her to weight-reduction plan and exercise and allowing her little contact with others.

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Representatives for Gesteelde-Diamant didn’t immediately reply to an email in search of comment. But he said it New York Times in an announcement that the allegations “are false and defamatory.”

“I oppose all forms of harassment and have always strived to help people achieve their career goals,” the statement said. “As someone who wants to make a positive impact on other artists and the world at large, I am deeply offended and saddened by these accusations.”

Mangroe claims in her lawsuit that as an alternative of helping her profession, Gesteelde-Diamant turned it the wrong way up by forcing her out of a recording contract she had signed. She says the trauma has caused her severe anxiety and depression, in addition to financial losses resulting from the damage to her profession. The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Los Angeles, seeks to find out damages at trial.

“What Dream did to me prevented me from living the life I imagined and pursuing my goals as a singer-songwriter,” Mangroe said in an announcement. “Eventually my silence became too painful and I realized I needed to tell my story to heal.”

The Associated Press doesn’t typically name individuals who say they’ve been victims of sexual abuse unless they arrive forward publicly, as Mangroe did.