Dolly Parton’s nephew contests restraining order sought by estate manager

Dolly Parton’s nephew is fighting a restraining order sought by the company managing her estate, denying that he threatened violence or tried to destroy the singer’s legacy. In a Tennessee court filing Tuesday, Bryan Seaver said messages cited against him were part of a private exchange with Parton’s longtime manager over a business dispute.

Seaver, who headed Parton’s security for years, said he and manager Danny Nozell were friends who were “frustrated, grieving and discussing strategy” in messages sent shortly before and after Parton’s Aug. 25 death. He acknowledged using crude language but said he had never threatened physical harm to Nozell or anyone associated with She’s Alive, the entity Nozell runs to manage Parton’s estate.

She’s Alive obtained a temporary restraining order last month against Seaver and his security firm, Squadron Augmented Protection Services. Its complaint accused them of “terroristic threats, harassment, and intimidation” and said Seaver’s conduct made it untenable to retain his firm. Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles cited his “claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate” in granting the order.

The order bars Seaver and his firm from contacting or coming within 1,000 feet of She’s Alive employees, attorneys and business partners, and from interfering with its business relationships. The parties are due back in court Oct. 20 to argue whether the restrictions should remain in place.

One Sept. 1 message cited in the complaint said Seaver would start a podcast “dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships” and discussing alleged violations against his company, ending: “Or f—— pay me.” Seaver said the message was directed only to Nozell and reflected frustration over unpaid security work for Herschend Family Entertainment, which operates Parton’s Dollywood amusement park and her Nashville hotel. His firm was owed about $251,000, according to his affidavit; he said it has since been paid.

Seaver also disputed the significance of messages about weapons. In one, he wrote that he had sold “29 million dollars worth of ammo to Haiti.” His affidavit said part of his security work involves brokering arms between the U.S. government and Haitian National Police. Screenshots he submitted show a purported response from Nozell urging him to promote that work. She’s Alive, meanwhile, described him in its complaint as a trained security operative with access to military-grade weapons who had made repeated threats to Parton’s staff and advisers.

Seaver said the order’s language is so broad that he cannot know everyone covered by it and could violate it while going about his business in Nashville. He said it could even restrict contact with relatives who work for or have ties to Parton’s estate.

Seaver included a 2024 letter praising him and his company that he said came from Parton, who had chosen him to announce her death. “I do not want this dispute to harm her legacy,” he wrote.