Music producer The-Dream sued over allegations of sex trafficking, battery and rape

LOS ANGELES — Producer The-Dream has been accused of sex trafficking, sexual battery and rape in a new lawsuit brought by the same firm that represented Sean "Diddy" Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in her now-settled case against the hip-hop mogul.

The eight-time Grammy winner — named in the lawsuit as Terius Gesteelde-Diamant — is accused in the civil suit of trafficking then-23-year-old songwriter Chanaaz Mangroe, also known as Channii Monroe, in 2014. Mangroe alleged that she was trafficked under the guise of a legitimate recording and distribution contract and that the "Umbrella" and "All of the Lights" hitmaker instead lured her into an abusive, violent and manipulative relationship. She is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.

In court documents filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Mangroe alleged that The-Dream's "depraved behavior" was facilitated by his art label Contra Paris LLC and record label Epic Records, whom she says he allegedly persuaded to invest in Mangroe, edged her out of negotiations, then used "corporate funding to assist in his trafficking venture."

Representatives for The-Dream and Epic Records did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times' requests for comment.