CNN
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Document producer and singer-songwriter The-Dream (Terius Gesteelde-Diamant) is accused of intercourse trafficking, rape and sexual battery in a lawsuit that was filed on Tuesday.
In keeping with the grievance, obtained by CNN, Gesteelde-Diamant “used his age and affect” within the music trade to “manipulate” the plaintiff Chanaaz Mangroe, a singer-songwriter from the Netherlands within the US on a O-1B “extraordinary capacity” visa. The lawsuit alleges he “lured” Mangroe “into an abusive, violent, and manipulative relationship full of bodily assaults, violent sexual encounters, and horrific psychological manipulation.”
On one event, based on the lawsuit, Mangroe alleges Gesteelde-Diamant raped her in a van “the identical night that he compelled her to interact in intercourse acts in a public movie show.”
She has requested for a jury trial and is in search of unspecified damages.
CNN has requested representatives for Gesteelde-Diamant for remark however has not heard again. In an announcement his consultant despatched to the New York Times, Gesteelde-Diamant denied the allegations.
“These claims are unfaithful and defamatory,” the assertion despatched to the Occasions mentioned. “I oppose all types of harassment and have all the time strived to assist individuals understand their profession targets. As somebody dedicated to creating a constructive impression on my fellow artists and the world at giant, I’m deeply offended and saddened by these accusations.”
In an announcement to CNN, Mangroe mentioned she wanted to inform her story to heal.
“Selecting to talk out concerning the trauma I survived has been some of the troublesome selections of my life, however finally, what Dream did to me made it inconceivable to reside the life I envisioned for myself and pursue my targets as a singer and songwriter,” Mangroe mentioned within the assertion on Tuesday. “Finally, my silence has turn out to be too painful, and I spotted that I would like to inform my story to heal. I hope that doing so may even assist others and forestall future horrific abuse.”
In her grievance, Mangroe describes assembly Gesteelde-Diamant in 2015, when the producer’s staff expressed curiosity in signing her as an artist.
Mangroe, who was 23 on the time, alleges within the lawsuit that Gesteelde-Diamant promised to assist safe recording and publishing contracts for her and write songs for her “like he did for Beyoncé and Rihanna.” As a substitute, the grievance alleges, he subjected her to “violent sexual acts and harsh psychological torture.”
The grievance alleges that he “managed all features” of her life whereas she was within the US on a piece visa. It additionally alleges Gesteelde-Diamant dedicated a number of acts of sexual violence towards Mangroe, filmed her throughout sexual acts and additionally compelled her to drink “extreme quantities of alcohol” by pouring it down her throat.
“That is one more horrific instance of how males within the music trade use their energy and affect to control and hurt others,” Mangroe’s attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and Meredith A. Firetog instructed CNN in an announcement. “Whereas she is going to by no means totally get well from what he and those that supported him did to her, her willingness to talk out now’s proof of her extraordinary power.”
Wigdor and Firetog additionally signify Cassie Ventura, who sued Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2023 for rape and abuse. The grievance was settled out of courtroom someday after it was filed and Combs denied the allegations. Combs later issued an apology on his Instagram web page after CNN released surveillance footage from 2016 exhibiting him bodily assaulting Ventura.
Gesteelde-Diamant is a Grammy-winning artist identified for writing songs together with “Umbrella” by Rihanna, “Child” by Justin Bieber and “Contact My Physique” by Mariah Carey. He additionally wrote a variety of songs for Beyoncé together with “Single Girls (Put a Ring on It)” and “Partition.” In 2012, he was named the government vice president of A&R at Def Jam Data, leaving in 2014 to start out his personal label, Contra Paris.