Dolly Parton’s longtime manager has gone to court seeking a temporary restraining order against the late singer’s nephew, Bryan Seaver.
According to TMZ, Danny Nozell filed the lawsuit Tuesday (September 22) through the entity She’s Alive, LLC. The filing asks a judge to prevent Seaver — who is not only Parton’s nephew but also worked as security at her properties for more than 20 years — from interfering with Parton’s business or contacting its business partners. It also seeks an order requiring him to remain at least 1,000 feet away from the company’s offices.
Nozell alleges that Seaver referenced his claimed work as a military contractor, access to weapons, and ability to use violence while pressuring him to hand over money.
The filing includes several messages allegedly sent by Seaver, including one in which he reportedly described his line of work by saying, “I’m not an entertainment person. I’m a killer.” Another alleged message states: “All I do is warfare … everyone needs to be worried about what I might do.”
The filing also alleges that Seaver threatened to take the family dispute public, with one message reportedly stating: “I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnership and telling the violations these people have done on us.”
Seaver reportedly responded by confirming his background while rejecting the suggestion that his comments were intended as threats. “I am a career soldier and military contractor and do conduct arms deals for foreign governments. I am a security professional and I am a killer… However, nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by.”
Seaver is the son of Dolly Parton’s sister, Cassie Parton, and had become one of the singer’s most trusted family members. He was also the relative who announced her death on August 25, telling fans that “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus.”
Nozell alleges that the intimidation began several weeks before Dolly Parton died and continued following her death. Seaver was terminated September 15, after which a new security team assumed responsibility for Parton’s main Nashville home, museum, downtown residence, and warehouse.
The termination letter pointed to changes in ownership of the Parton properties and stated that the decision was made by the DP Dean Trust Group to safeguard the trust and its beneficiaries as a whole.
Named after Parton and her late husband Carl Dean, the trust controls the properties and business interests at the center of the dispute surrounding her estimated $650 million fortune.
The legal battle comes just days after a video honoring Parton with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award was screened at the Ryman Auditorium, while her sister Stella Parton also publicly addressed misinformation surrounding the family.
Seaver’s beneficiary interest in the DP Dean Trust remains in place, with the co-trustees saying they plan to contact him about the matter in the near future.
