The-Dream Files Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Against Him by Former Protégée Alleging Rape, Sex Trafficking and Assault

• The-Dream has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit “in its entirety” against him that accuses him of rape, sexual assault, trafficking and other violent allegations
• The lawsuit was filed by his former protégé Chanaaz Mangroe, a singer-songwriter
• The filing claims the lawsuit “weaponizes destructive racial stereotypes” against The-Dream

The-Dream has filed a motion to dismiss a federal lawsuit filed against him in June by his former protégé, accusing him of rape, sexual assault, trafficking and other violent allegations.

In documents filed Friday, Aug. 16, and obtained by PEOPLE, the singer/songwriter/producer (real name Terius Gesteelde-Diamant), 46, is asking for the complaint to be dismissed “in its entirety.”

The-Dream’s attorney Desirée F. Moore argues that the lawsuit, filed by Chanaaz Mangroe, is a “shotgun appeal” that “must be dismissed in its entirety because it failed to attribute specific factual allegations to each defendant.” They also seek to have Contra Paris, LLC dismissed from the suit for lack of personal jurisdiction in California.

The-Dream is being sued by a former resident for alleged rape, sex trafficking and assault

The filing claims the lawsuit “weaponizes destructive racial stereotypes” against the “Falsetto” singer.

“Before the lawsuit raises a single relevant claim, the plaintiff devotes several pages to: irrelevant gossip aimed at harming Diamant’s children and impugning his marital history; unsubstantiated allegations of past violence (none of which resulted in any action or findings against Diamant); false representations of an absent father; and racist insinuations that Diamant is affiliated with a street gang,” Dream’s legal team said in the motion.

The defendant’s legal team also claims that Mangroe “sought out” The-Dream for many years after their interactions ended with “one-sided requests for sex (and other favors), including in writing,” even when he refused. They also state that the plaintiff’s claims that The-Dream stalked her are “false.”

In addition, The-Dream’s attorneys are seeking to dismiss or dismiss the plaintiff’s rape claim, arguing that rape is not a separate civil cause of action under California law.

“Plaintiff’s complaint contains dozens of allegations that are completely irrelevant to her allegations of sexual abuse and human trafficking and, instead, are designed solely to defame Diamant’s name and reputation,” Moore wrote in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

The-Dream is performing in Dallas in May 2024.

Paras Griffin/Getty

They added: “In the absence of any facts alleging Plaintiff’s involvement in a ‘commercial sex act,’ her sex trafficking claim against Diamant must be dismissed.”

Representatives for Mangroe have not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, The-Dream sued Mangroe on June 4 over allegations he lured his former protégé into a recording and distribution deal, which she claims led the then-23-year-old “vulnerable artist to abuse , violent and manipulative relationship” in 2015.

Filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, the lawsuit alleges that Mangroe’s experience with The-Dream lasted more than a year and was “nothing short of a prolonged nightmare.”

The filing claims The-Dream used his power in the music industry to make “false promises” to Mangroa, who was born in the Netherlands, in hopes of gaining her “full trust.”

According to the complaint, this allegedly included sponsoring her international visa extension, offering her “lofty visions” of a major label deal, guaranteeing hits if she became part of his “shrine” such as collaborators Rihanna and Beyoncé, and also promising to open a venue for her on the latter’s upcoming tour.

However, the lawsuit alleges that Mangroe was indeed used to fulfill The-Dream’s own desires, which allegedly “manifested themselves in violent sexual acts and vicious psychological torture.”

The court filing alleges that on one occasion the music producer locked Mangroe in a dark room and “forcibly” had sex with her, left and returned to have sex again demanding “she tell him she loves him.”

On another occasion, the lawsuit alleges that The-Dream “once raped Ms. Mangroe in the back of a refurbished Sprinter van,” the same night he “forced her to have sex in a public movie theater.”

Allegedly, The-Dream demanded Mangroa “engage in coercive sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and recorded the acts as a way to threaten her into silence.

The-Dream in Sherman Oaks in September 2019.

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The filing also accused The-Dream’s record label, Contra Paris LLC and Epic Records of enabling his “depraved behavior,” and alleged that the “My Love” singer forced Mangroe to consume “excessive amounts of alcohol” by pouring it down her throat , “refused to wear a condom and regularly ejaculated into her” and “often” choked her during “violent sex” – once when she “almost lost consciousness.”

Other accounts cited in the court filing claim that The-Dream controlled all aspects of Mangroe’s stay in the U.S. — including where she lived and where she could go, who she talked to and what she could eat — and “closely monitored her location in all time.”

Due to the producer’s “heinous acts”, Mangroe’s career was rocked when her music was allegedly hijacked without explanation and she was never compensated for her work.

According to Mangroe, any attempt to revive her music career was “hijacked by Dream and his supporters”.

At the time of filing, representatives for The-Dream could not be reached for comment by PEOPLE.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Mangroe’s attorneys, Douglas H. Wigdor and Meredith Firetog, said, “This is another horrific example of how people in the music industry use their power and influence to manipulate and harm others.”

They added: “While she will never fully recover from what he and those who supported him did to her, her willingness to speak out now is a testament to her extraordinary strength. It is an honor to represent her.”

In her own statement, Mangroe said that sharing her trauma was “one of the hardest decisions of my life.”

The-Dream performs in Philadelphia in June 2024.

Taylor Hill/Getty

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

Mangroe added, “Eventually my silence became too painful and I realized that I needed to tell my story in order to heal.”

She hopes her decision to speak out “will also help others and prevent future horrific abuse.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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Source: HIS Education