Dolly Parton’s estate has filed a temporary restraining order in Nashville against the country music icon’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, accusing him of sending threatening messages and vowing to destroy his aunt’s legacy and business empire, according to court documents filed on Tuesday in Nashville.
Court Filings Detail Alleged Threats and Extortion
The legal action, brought by She’s Alive—the entity managing and protecting Parton’s professional property and business—offers a sharp look at discord surrounding the late singer’s estate. According to court documents reported by The Associated Press, Seaver is accused of sending increasingly threatening text messages and emails over the last several weeks, starting just before Parton’s death.
She’s Alive is run by Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager. Last week, the management entity terminated Seaver and Squadron Augmented Protection Services, the company Seaver owned that provided Parton’s security detail. According to the court filings, Seaver’s “terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable.”
Messages and Brand Destruction Warnings
The court documents outline a series of messages in which Seaver allegedly reveled in his newfound fame after announcing Parton’s death from cancer last month, while also referring to himself as an “international arms dealer.” Seaver reportedly invoked his past experience working for private military contractors overseas during the Iraq War as part of the threats.
In a Sept. 1 message cited in the court complaint, Seaver stated, according to AP: “I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships and telling the violations these people have done on us. It’s going to be great. Or f——— pay me.”
The alleged communication campaign has caused immediate disruption within the estate’s operations. Parton’s trusts and estates attorney has left, and multiple employees of She’s Alive have resigned, the court documents state. The management entity has also hired private security for its employees, including guarding their homes.
Terms of the Requested Restraining Order
The temporary restraining order filed in Nashville asks a judge to keep Seaver away from She’s Alive employees, attorneys, and business dealings. If granted, the order will prohibit Seaver from communicating with or coming within 1,000 feet (305 meters) of the company’s workers and partners, while also barring him from interfering with ongoing business relationships.
Seaver did not respond to an email request for comment from The Associated Press. A woman speaking through a doorbell camera at an address listed in court documents in the semi-rural Nashville suburb of Fairview declined to speak with reporters.
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