The-Dream is the latest musician to be indicted on charges including sexual assault.
The multi-platinum artist and wildly successful songwriter was sued today (June 4) in California federal court by Chanaaz Mangroe, aka Channii Monroe.
Mangroe said in her complaint that she met The-Dream in 2014 when she was 23 and came to the U.S. from the Netherlands “hoping to get her big break as a singer and songwriter.” TMZ confirms. “Under the guise of seeking a legal recording and publishing contract with Ms. Mangroe, Dream lured the young and vulnerable artist into an abusive, violent and manipulative relationship that was filled with physical assaults, violent sexual contact and horrific psychological manipulation.
The lawsuit alleges that Dream used his fame and relationships with Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay-Z and others to manipulate Mangroe. “For a new artist, the thought of becoming the next Beyoncé or Rihanna is clearly intoxicating,” the lawsuit reads, “and Ms. Mangro was willing to do her best to realize her recording dreams.”
The lawsuit further states that on their first night in the studio, The-Dream “forced her to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and smoke marijuana” and also forced her to “have sex with him.” He assured her that having sex with him was ‘As part of the process,’ he could write her hit songs only if she agreed to let him know everything about her,” the lawsuit states. The-Dream allegedly took Mangroe to a bedroom and had sex with her; the lawsuit alleges the producer left Mangroe in the bedroom and then returned intermittently to continue having sex with her.
“She returned to the hotel confused but trying to remain grateful and hopeful for what she believed to be her big break,” the complaint states. “While in Los Angeles, if Ms. Mangroe and Dream were in the studio at the same time, he expected her to be with him Have sex with him when you want.”
“After Ms. Mangro moved to Atlanta, her dreams became increasingly controlling,” she claims in the complaint. “He told Ms Mangro that she needed to have daily contact with him, that she needed to be available to him whenever he called and that she should rely solely on him for any of her needs.”
By May 2015, she was signed to contracts with Contra Paris (Dream’s record label) and Epic Records, but “Dream had complete control over communications regarding Ms. Mangroe’s deal and Epic – he refused to contact her directly with anyone, Refusing to even include her,” the complaint states, “contacted via email or text messages with executives at the major record labels she is now signed to.
