Grammy-winning producer allegedly raped woman in van

Grammy-winning producer and songwriter The-Dream is accused of rape and sexual abuse, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles.

The 47-year-old, whose real name is Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed Tuesday by a former protégé, Chanaaz Mangroe, who performed under the name Channii Monroe.

According to the lawsuit, Ms. Mangroe says Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant repeatedly forced her to have sex, strangled her and once filmed an intimate encounter and then threatened to show the image to other people.

Mr Gesteelde-Diamant, who has written songs for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey, has denied the allegations.

According to the 60-page lawsuit, which has been seen by the BBC, Ms Mangroe is seeking damages for “lost wages” as well as “mental pain and anguish and severe emotional distress”.

Ms. Mangroe, originally from the Netherlands, was working in the United States in hopes of becoming a singer and songwriter. In the complaint, she says she first met Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant in January 2015.

The 33-year-old claims he subjected her to “violent sexual encounters” which left her bruised; forced her to drink “excessive amounts of alcohol”; choked her until she “almost lost consciousness”; forced her to perform sexual acts in a cinema and raped her in a converted Sprinter van.

She also says he told her he would make her the next Beyoncé and Rihanna.

Within days of that first meeting, Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant began pressuring her to have sex, Ms. Mangroe claims, telling her it was “part of the process,” the lawsuit says.

The 33-year-old said he locked her in a dark room and “only stopped having aggressive sex with her when she told him she loved him.”

Ms. Mangroe claims in the lawsuit that unwanted sexual encounters continued while Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant made promises to her, such as that he could get her a gig as the opening act on Beyoncé’s next tour and at the Grammys.

In a statement from her legal team to the BBC, Ms Mangroe said her decision to speak was “one of the most difficult decisions of my life”.

“But ultimately, what Dream did to me made it impossible for me to live the life I imagined and pursue my goals as a singer and songwriter.

“Eventually my silence became too painful and I realized that I had to tell my story in order to heal.

“I hope that by doing this I can help others and prevent future horrific abuse.”

Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant has won eight Grammy Awards and was nominated for the newly created “Songwriter of the Year” category at the 65th Grammy Awards in February 2023.

In a statement to the New York Times, a representative of Mr Gesteelde-Diamant said the allegations were “untrue and defamatory”.

“I oppose any form of harassment and have always tried to help people achieve their career goals,” the statement said.

“As someone who is committed to making a positive impact on my fellow artists and the world at large, I am deeply offended and saddened by these allegations.”