The-Dream, a singer-songwriter who has worked with artists such as Beyonce and Rihanna, is facing a shocking lawsuit alleging rape, human trafficking, and more.
According to the lawsuit, filed in California and provided to USA Today on Tuesday, Chanaz Manglou claims that the Grammy Award winner, whose real name is Terius Gestielde Diamant, “lured” her into an “abusive, violent and manipulative relationship” that “was nothing but a prolonged nightmare.”
Munglo alleges that his working relationship with The-Dream was “filled with physical assault, violent sexual acts and horrific psychological manipulation” in the name of helping him secure a recording and publishing deal with his record label, Contra Paris LLC, and Epic Records. Epic Records and The-Dream are accused of facilitating his “depraved behavior.”
Gestielde Diamant denied the allegations in a statement to The New York Times.
“These allegations are baseless and defamatory,” he said. “I oppose harassment in any form and have always worked to help people achieve their career goals. As someone who is committed to making a positive impact on my fellow artists and the world at large, I am deeply outraged and saddened by these accusations.”
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USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for The-Dream, Contra Paris and Epic Records for comment.
Mangroe accuses Gestilde Diamant of locking her in a dark room and “violently intercoursed” with her before “leaving her naked in the dark for hours,” “roughly” pulling her head back by her hair and forcing large amounts of alcohol down her throat, choking her to the point of losing consciousness, refusing to wear a condom during sex and ejaculating against her will, raping her in the back of a van, and forcing her to have sex in a public movie theater.
She also claims he recorded her acts during sex and used the footage to blackmail her into silence.
Terius Gestilde Diamant accused of “brutal psychological torture” and rape
According to the lawsuit, Munglo was contacted by associates at Gestielde Diamant in 2014 when she was 23 years old and working in the U.S. on a Dutch international visa and looking to get her big break as a singer. Munglo, who is also known as Channie Monroe, was invited to join Gestielde Diamant in Atlanta after sending in samples of her work, according to the lawsuit.
From there, the lawsuit alleges, Gesthielde Diamant made false promises to gain her trust, such as sponsoring her visa extension, writing her a “blockbuster” song, and opening for Beyoncé on tour. “In reality, Dream exploited Ms. Manglo for his own sordid desires, which manifested in violent sexual acts and brutal psychological torture,” the lawsuit alleges.
The complaint further states that Gestilde Diamant “controlled every aspect” of Ms. Mangroe’s stay in the United States, constantly following her and demanding constant updates on her whereabouts.
Gestierde Diamant is accused of leading Manglo to believe that if she wanted to be as successful as Beyoncé, she needed to “give him complete control over every aspect of her life.” She exploited her admiration for the “Texas Hold ’em” singer, claiming that they would be “the next ‘Beyoncé and Jay.'” The lawsuit says that the producer “intertwined business promises with violent sex,” causing Manglo to become increasingly isolated from her family over time.
Gestielde Diamant allegedly regularly carried a gun and would place one next to Manglou “as a warning” when he forced her to perform sexual acts. In one incident, he “intentionally slammed her face into the sink” in a bathroom after forcing her to perform sexual acts, and he allegedly raped her on the studio’s stairs, according to the lawsuit. During the rape, Manglou said Gestielde Diamant pulled the collar of her dress so tightly around her neck that she “had difficulty breathing” and “thought she would not survive.”
But according to the lawsuit, after Munglo learned that Gestilde Diamant had promised to open for Beyoncé but that she hadn’t even arranged to tour, she eventually realized that Gestilde Diamant “didn’t really want to produce her record” and that the “dizzying confusion that had led her through” was an illusion.
The lawsuit claims that Mangroe’s “career was turned upside down by Gestilde Diamant’s ‘heinous actions’ and her music was removed ‘without explanation.'” She says she has not recovered from the trauma and is still working to rebuild her life nearly a decade later.
“Choosing to speak publicly about the trauma I experienced was one of the most difficult decisions of my life, but what Dream did to me made it impossible for me to live the life I envisioned and pursue my goals as a singer and songwriter,” Manglo said in a statement provided to USA Today. “Eventually, remaining silent became too painful and I realized that in order to heal, I had to tell my story, and in the hopes that doing so will help others and prevent horrific abuse in the future.”
Attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and Meredith Firetog are representing Manglo after working with attorney Cathy Ventura, who settled a rape and sex trafficking lawsuit against Diddy last year. In a statement, the lawyers compared Gestielde Diamant to Diddy.
“This is yet another horrific example of men in the music industry using their power and influence to manipulate and hurt others,” Wigdor and Firetog said. “Dream used his position as a well-known recording artist and producer to subject Munglo to brutal physical, mental and sexual abuse, much like Sean Combs did with Ventura and others.”
“She will never fully recover from what he and those who supported him did to her, but her willingness to speak out now is a testament to her incredible strength. We are honored to represent her,” they added.
Who is The-Dream?
Gestilde Diamant’s songwriting credits include hits such as “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” by Beyoncé and “Umbrella” by Rihanna. He has won eight Grammy Awards and been nominated 21 times.
Under the name The-Dream, he recorded the 2007 album Love/Hate, which spawned several singles including “Falsetto,” “Shawty Is A 10” and “I Luv Your Girl.” More recently, he produced tracks for Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” and Usher’s “Coming Home,” and was featured on the track “Cold Blooded.”
Gestielde Diamant has been married three times, including to singer Christina Milian, and has nine children. He was arrested on assault charges in 2014 for strangling his pregnant girlfriend, according to People magazine, but the charges were later dropped.
