The-Dream calls sexual battery lawsuit 'character assassination,' denies claims
Grammy-winning singer and songwriter The-Dream is denying all of the claims leveled against him in a recent lawsuit from a woman who alleges he "lured" her into an "abusive, violent, and manipulative relationship."
Lawyers for the 46-year-old musician, whose real name is Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, detailed his "categorical" denials of any non-consensual sexual acts and violence in a motion to dismiss filing in California federal court reviewed by USA TODAY Friday.
Plaintiff Chanaaz Mangroe's June 4 complaint included allegations that were a "character assassination" of Gesteelde-Diamant, his lawyers wrote.
Thirty-three-year-old Mangroe, professionally known as Channii Monroe, filed a lawsuit that was a "legally insufficient hit piece" with "300 paragraphs of largely irrelevant, inaccurate, and intentionally out-of-context allegations," reads Friday's filing by Gesteelde-Diamant's attorneys. "The Complaint weaponizes destructive racial stereotypes against Diamant that he and others have faced—and tried to overcome—their entire lives."
Gesteelde-Diamant's lawyers accuse Mangroe of "using the judicial system to propagate a false and defamatory narrative about Diamant" and "making Diamant just another number in a flurry of sexual misconduct lawsuits against high profile individuals in the entertainment industry, many of whom are Black."
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Defense attorney Desirée F. Moore, who represents Gesteelde-Diamant and record label Contra Paris LLC, said in a statement shared with USA TODAY that Mangroe failed to "attribute specific factual allegations to each defendant."
Moore's statement continued: "Plaintiff's Complaint contains dozens of allegations that are utterly irrelevant to her sexual battery and sex trafficking claims and are, instead, designed solely to smear Diamant's name and reputation."
In response to Gesteelde-Diamant's request to dismiss the case, Mangroe's legal team said in a statement to USA TODAY that "The Dream’s arguments seeking to dismiss Plaintiff’s allegations are wholly unpersuasive. We look forward to opposing the motions and proceeding to discovery in this case."
The-Dream had 'a brief and consensual courtship' with accuser
According to Gesteelde-Diamant's Friday filing, he and Mangroe "were two adults who engaged in a brief and consensual courtship."
"There was never non-consensual sex between them; there was never sex exchanged for money or other commercial gain; and Diamant never abused Plaintiff in any way," the motion to dismiss states.
His account of their relationship was that Mangroe pursued Gesteelde-Diamant for years and asked for multiple favors related to her career.
Gesteelde-Diamant's lawyers seek dismissal of Mangroe's complaint on the grounds of it being a "shotgun pleading," which is described as a filing that levels "an unclear mass of allegations and (makes) it difficult or impossible for defendants to make informed responses to the plaintiff’s allegations." They also say Mangroe failed to submit allegations that support a sex-trafficking claim.
Channii Monroe's allegations against The-Dream
In her June complaint, Mangroe claimed her working relationship with The-Dream was "filled with physical assaults, violent sexual encounters, and horrific psychological manipulation" under the guise of helping her pursue a recording and publishing contract with his record label, Contra Paris LLC, and Epic Records.
Mangroe has a different account of first meeting the Grammy winner. She alleged she was contacted by his associates in 2014, when she was 23 years old and looking for her big break as a singer while working in the United States on an international visa from the Netherlands.
'A prolonged nightmare'Chanaaz Mangroe's allegations against The-Dream
Her "career was upended" as a result of Gesteelde-Diamant's "heinous acts," Mangroe's lawsuit said, with her music allegedly being taken from her "without any explanation." She says she has not recovered from the trauma and is still putting the pieces of her life back together almost 10 years later.
Gesteelde-Diamant has songwriting credits on hit tracks like Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and Rihanna's "Umbrella." He has received eight Grammy awards and 21 nominations.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
