Hitmaker The-Dream has fired back at the former female protégé who accuses him in a lawsuit of rape, sexual assault and sex trafficking, with his lawyers filing a lawsuit to dismiss the shocking allegations.
The music producer, whose real name is Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, is accused of trapping Chanaaz Mangroe in an abusive relationship where he subjected her to “violent sexual acts and brutal psychological torture,” according to court documents in Los Angeles.
But lawyers for The-Dream, 46, who has written hits for Beyoncé and Rihanna, filed a response on Friday to have the case thrown out, calling the dramatic claims a “shotgun plea.”
The term is used when there are many allegations but none of them are specific enough for a defendant to adequately respond to.
In an eight-page letter filed in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, The-Dream’s attorneys accuse Mangroe, 33, of making “paragraph after paragraph of completely irrelevant allegations.”
The-Dream, whose real name is Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, has responded to Dutch-born artist Chanaaz Mangroe as her lawyers have filed a lawsuit to dismiss her allegations of rape, sexual assault and sex trafficking.
Mangroe (pictured) accused The-Dream of trapping her in an abusive relationship where he subjected her to “violent sexual acts and brutal psychological torture,” according to court documents in Los Angeles.
The letter to Dutch-born Mangroe’s legal team says these “have no connection to this case and appear to have been included solely to attack Diamant’s reputation or create prejudice against him.”
On the same topic, he concludes: “Plaintiff’s complaint contains dozens of allegations that are completely irrelevant to her allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking and are instead designed to tarnish Diamant’s name and reputation.”
These included references to Diamant’s previous marriages and the “number of children he had and with whom.”
Also ‘allegations relating to Diamant’s alleged affairs, his aversion to providing child care, divorces and prior dealings with law enforcement.’
As for the rape claim, the lawyers insist that under California law, “rape does not constitute a distinct cause of action in civil law.”
And on the sex trafficking allegation, they say Mangroe has “failed to file a complaint in an allegation that would require proving force, threats, fraud and coercion in a ‘commercial sex act.'”
The letter concludes: ‘According to the foregoing, Defendants intend to file a motion to dismiss each of Plaintiff’s causes of action and a motion to strike Plaintiff’s unnecessary and immaterial scandalous allegations… unless the parties can resolve these issues without judicial intervention.’
Mangroe, 33, claimed the 46-year-old singer-songwriter subjected her to “violent sexual acts and brutal psychological torture” and accused him of sex trafficking.
Mangroe was 23 at the time when, according to the filing, The-Dream lured the “vulnerable artist into an abusive, violent and manipulative relationship” in 2015.
Mangroe’s former record label, Contra-Paris LLC, is also named as a defendant in the suit. It claims it failed to intervene despite allegedly knowing about the incidents involving the claims. It argues that it is a Delaware-based company and is not liable for this action in California.
Desiree F. Moore, one of the attorneys for both defendants, told DailyMail.com: “The complaint is a clear example of a ‘shotgun allegation’ and should be dismissed in its entirety for failing to attribute specific factual allegations to each defendant.
‘Absent facts alleging Plaintiff’s engagement in a “commercial sex act,” her sex trafficking cause of action against Diamant must be dismissed.’
Mangroe’s lawsuit alleges that The-Dream lured her into a relationship with false promises of launching her music career.
She was 23 at the time when, according to the filing, The-Dream led the “vulnerable artist into an abusive, violent and manipulative relationship” in 2015.
The recording guru and prolific songwriter, who has won eight Grammy Awards, was involved in hits such as Rihanna’s Umbrella, Justin Bieber’s Baby and Mariah Carey’s Touch My Body. He also helped make Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and Beyoncé’s Break My Soul.
Having built a close bond with Beyoncé, The-Dream has also been credited on each of the 42-year-old superstar’s albums since 2008.
Mangroe, who performed under the stage name Channii Monroe, claimed he “told her he would make her the next Beyoncé and Rihanna” with promises to promote her music career.
However, he allegedly trapped her in an abusive relationship, during which she says he repeatedly raped and strangled her.
On Friday, lawyers for the hitmakers filed a response seeking to have the case dismissed, calling the dramatic claims a “shotgun plea.”
She also claimed she was a victim of revenge porn, as she once filmed an intimate encounter and threatened to send it to other people.
According to her complaint, they met when The-Dream contacted her in late 2014 and asked her to send him her music.
In January 2015, Mangroe said she traveled to meet him in Atlanta, where he took her to a strip club and began filming with her.
In her lawsuit, she claimed the record producer quickly began pressuring her to have sex and told her it was “part of the process.”
She also claimed that at one point, he took her to a house with a studio, locked her in a dark room and “only stopped having aggressive sex with her once she said she loved him.”
In her lawsuit, Mangroe claimed the producer refused to use a condom, became increasingly violent and controlling over time and often placed a gun next to her when he forced her to have sex.
She claimed that in the summer of 2015 she reported her abuse to an Epic executive, who ignored her complaints and told her she “needed to find a way to work with Dream again.”
The following year, she claimed that the major record label dropped her because The-Dream was not delivering music to her.
In an eight-page letter filed in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, The-Dream’s lawyers accuse Mangroe of making “paragraph after paragraph of completely irrelevant allegations.” (pictured: L-R, Rich Paul, Steve Stoute, Jay-Z, Juan “OG” Perez and The-Dream at the Grammys in February 2023)
Mangroe, who performed under the stage name Channii Monroe, claimed he “told her he would make her the next Beyoncé and Rihanna” with promises to further her music career. (pictured: Monroe sitting with Beyoncé and Jay-Z at the 65th GRAMMY Awards in 2023)
Epic is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Mangroe shared a statement with The New York Times and said he has been unable to pursue his dream of becoming a musician due to the trauma suffered from his alleged abuse.
“What Dream did to me was make it impossible for me to live the life I envisioned for myself and pursue my goals as a singer and songwriter,” she said.
“In the end, my silence became too painful and I realized that I need to tell my story in order to heal,” she continued in the statement. “I hope that by doing so it will also help other people and prevent future horrible abuse.”
The-Dream had also previously been accused of violence against women. In 2014, he was charged with assault after an ex-girlfriend, who was eight months pregnant at the time, alleged that he had kicked, punched and strangled her.
Her now ex claimed he also threatened to kill her “like OJ Simpson killed Nicole Brown” during the altercation.
The following year, the case was dismissed when prosecutors said they could not prove assault “beyond a reasonable doubt” and his charges were dropped.
The-Dream has previously denied Mangroe’s allegations to The New York Times, calling them “false and defamatory.”
He also told the outlet that he feels “deeply offended and saddened” by them.
“I oppose all forms of harassment and have always strived to help people achieve their professional goals,” he said. “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 allegations.”
Mangroe is being represented by the same attorneys who represented Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura when she sued Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in November 2023.
The lawsuit, which details harrowing memories of abuse like those seen in recently resurfaced footage of the harassed rapper violently attacking her in a hotel hallway, was settled just one day after it was filed.
