Hit producer The-Dream filed a motion to dismiss a sexual assault lawsuit against him in June, alleging that the plaintiff and her attorney are “using the judicial system to spread a false and defamatory narrative” about him.
The producer, whose real name is Terius Gestildi-Diamant, is a well-known music producer, having written songs for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Kanye West and more. Gestildi-Diamant alleged in the lawsuit that he and the plaintiff, Shanaz Mangroo, had a “brief, consensual relationship,” adding that he never assaulted her.
The decision stated: “Diamant categorically denies the plaintiff’s allegations in the complaint, which are simply divorced from reality, and the complaint is completely without merit.”
Gestilde-Diamant's motion comes two months after Mangro first filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that he used his position in the industry to “lure the vulnerable young artist into an abusive, violent and manipulative relationship filled with physical assault, violent sexual encounters and horrific psychological manipulation.”
Mangro claimed she first met Gestilde-Diamant in late 2014 after being contacted by a childhood friend and claimed to have met the producer in Atlanta by 2015. She alleged that during their time together, Gestilde-Diamant forced her to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, choked her multiple times, recorded sexual acts with her and used the recordings to “threaten Ms. Mangro into silence.”
“Choosing to speak out about the trauma I survived was one of the hardest decisions of my life, 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,” Mangro said in a statement at the time. “Ultimately, my silence became too painful for me to keep quiet, and I realized I needed to tell my story to heal. I hope that doing so will also help others and prevent future horrific abuse.”
Gestelde-Diamant alleged that Mangro was the first to contact his friend, and that she told him she would pay him a “finder's fee” to contact him. Gestelde-Diamant also alleged that Mangro was the first to make the move on him, and that their relationship was brief before he decided to end it.
Mangro allegedly continued to stalk him after their relationship ended, sharing screenshots in the lawsuit that included sexually suggestive text messages she allegedly sent in June 2016, and also telling him, “Yesterday I was under the influence of my emotions and today my imagination is running wild.”
The firing included several other screenshots, including one from last year in which Mangro allegedly texted Gestilde-Diamant's childhood friend telling him she would “always be grateful for the moments I spent in the studio with you guys!”
The lawsuit filed by Gestilde-Diamant says the original complaint is a “punitive suit” intended to “overwhelm Defendants with an incomprehensible amount of allegations and make it difficult or impossible for Defendants to provide informed responses to Plaintiff’s allegations.” The lawsuit also refers to the suit as “nothing more than a legally insufficient pretext.”
“The complaint exploits damaging racial stereotypes against Diamant that he and others have faced – and tried to overcome – throughout their lives,” the decision said.
Asked to comment on the motion, Mangroo attorney Doug Wigdor — who has represented plaintiffs in lawsuits against other entertainment companies including Sean Combs and James Dolan — said in a statement that “Dream’s arguments seeking to dismiss Plaintiff’s claims are wholly unpersuasive. We look forward to opposing the motions and moving forward with discovery in this case.”
