Joe McConnell
Grammy-winning producer and songwriter The-Dream is seeking to have much of the sexual assault lawsuit filed against him dismissed.
The 47-year-old, born Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, was accused of rape and sexual assault in June by his former protégé, Chanaaz Mangroe, who performed as Channii Monroe.
In response, Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant, who has written songs for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey, denied the allegations.
His legal representatives filed a motion to dismiss the case on Friday, calling the claims “a textbook example of ‘closed-door defense.'”
The term “shotgun pleading” is used to describe a complaint in which multiple allegations are made without providing the opposing party with adequate notice of the claims.
In court documents seen by BBC News, lawyers have asked for multiple amendments to Ms Mangroe’s complaint, insisting that some paragraphs are “irrelevant” and “outrageous”.
They are trying to dismiss the rape charge, arguing that rape is not a separate civil cause under California law.
They further argued that the sex trafficking charge does not contain required elements, such as a “commercial sexual act.”
Her legal representatives also asked that her label Contra Paris, LLC be removed from the lawsuit, since it is based in Delaware and therefore does not have personal jurisdiction in California.
“The complaint is a blatant example of a ‘closed-door defense’ and must be dismissed in its entirety because it fails to attribute specific factual allegations to each defendant,” said Desirée F. Moore, an attorney representing Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant.
He added that Mangroe’s complaint “contains dozens of allegations that are completely irrelevant to her allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking and are, instead, designed solely to tarnish Diamant’s name and reputation.”
According to the lawsuit filed in JuneMs Mangroe claims that Mr Gesteelde-Diamant repeatedly forced her to have sexual intercourse, strangled her and on one occasion filmed an intimate encounter, later threatening to show it to others.
According to the 60-page lawsuit, Ms. Mangroe seeks damages for “lost earnings” and “mental pain, anguish and severe emotional distress.”
Ms. Mangroe, originally from the Netherlands and working in the United States hoping to establish herself as a singer and songwriter, said in the lawsuit that she first met Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant in January 2015.
The 33-year-old claims he “subjected” her to “violent sexual encounters” that left her with bruises; forced her to drink “excessive amounts of alcohol”; strangled her to the point that she “almost lost consciousness”; forced her to perform sexual acts in a movie theater; and raped her in a converted Sprinter van.
She also says that he “told her he would make her the next Beyoncé and Rihanna.”
Within days of that first meeting, Ms. Mangroe claims Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant began pressuring her to have sex, telling her it was “part of the process,” the complaint says.
The 33-year-old claims he locked her in a dark room and “only stopped aggressively having sex with her after she told him she loved him.”
In the complaint, Ms. Mangroe claims that the unwanted sexual encounters continued, even as Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant made promises to her, such as having her open for Beyoncé’s upcoming tour and the Grammys.
Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant has won eight Grammy Awards and was nominated for the new category of Songwriter of the Year at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2023.
In a statement to The New York Times in June, a representative for Mr. Gesteelde-Diamant said the claims were “false and defamatory.”
“I oppose all forms of harassment and have always sought to help people achieve their career goals,” the statement read.
“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 allegations.”
BBC News contacted Ms Mangroe for a response.
