Terius Gesteelde-Diamant (aka Nash), better known as hit-making songwriter and producer The-Dream, has been sued for sexual battery by a former protege, according to the New York Times.
The plaintiff is a singer named Chanaaz Mangroe, who performed as Channii Monroe. She alleges that Gesteelde-Diamant “repeatedly forced her to have sex, strangled her and once made a video recording of an intimate encounter and threatened to show it to others” after enticing her into a relationship with promises to help advance her career. Mangroe also names Epic Records in her complaint, saying they failed to respond to her reports against him, and eventually dropped her when he did not deliver her music to them.
In a statement, Mangroe said, “What Dream did to me made it impossible to live the life I envisioned for myself and pursue my goals as a singer and songwriter. Ultimately, my silence has become too painful, and I realized that I need to tell my story to heal. I hope that doing so will also help others and prevent future horrific abuse.”
Meanwhile, Gesteelde-Diamant denied the allegations through a representative, responding, “These claims are untrue and defamatory. I oppose all forms of harassment and have always strived to help people realize their career goals. 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 accusations.”
According to the suit, Mangroe began a relationship with Gesteelde-Diamant after sending him samples of her work. He allegedly told her he could make her “the next Beyoncé and Rihanna,” but began pressuring her for sex within days. She says that over time, he began having his security follow her, demanding regular check-ins and exploding with anger at perceived signs of disloyalty or ingratitude.
Mangroe is represented by Douglas H. Wigdor and Meredith A. Firetog, who also filed Cassie’s sexual assault case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, which was settled a day after being made public.
This isn’t the first time The-Dream was accused of violence aganist women. In 2014, he was charged with assault on allegations that he kicked, punched and choked a former girlfriend; however, prosecutors dropped the charges due to a lack of evidence.