Company managing Dolly Parton’s estate seeks to dismiss nephew lawsuit

The company managing Dolly Parton’s estate has asked a court to dismiss its civil claims against her nephew and former security chief, Bryan Seaver, after a dispute over messages it described as threats. Seaver denied threatening anyone and said his private exchanges with the company’s head had been taken out of context.

She’s Alive LLC filed a brief motion Thursday seeking dismissal without prejudice, meaning the claims could be refiled, NBC News reported. It was not immediately clear whether the company would pursue them again. CBS News reported that the details of any resolution were not known.

“Mr. Seaver is grateful to put this misunderstanding behind him so that the entire family can continue to grieve peacefully and ensure that the bright light of Dolly’s legacy remains completely untouched,” his attorneys told CBS News. Attorneys for She’s Alive did not respond to requests for comment reported by CBS News and NBC News.

Parton died of cancer in August at 80. Seaver, who heads the private security firm Squadron Augmented Protection Services, announced her death in a prerecorded video, CBS News reported. He said the task was “something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality.”

She’s Alive, which manages Parton’s estate and business interests, fired Seaver and his company in September. Parton’s longtime manager, Danny Nozell, who runs She’s Alive, then sought a restraining order against them, according to CBS News.

In its request, She’s Alive alleged that Seaver had “made repeated, written threats to Ms. Parton’s staff, partners, legal and business advisors, and others” and had sought to obtain money from the company and trusts through a campaign of threats, CBS News reported. These were allegations made by the company, not by Parton.

She’s Alive also alleged that, before Parton’s death, Seaver threatened to “destroy the entire brand” during a disagreement involving Dollywood, the theme park and resort Parton opened in 1986, according to CBS News. NBC News reported that the lawsuit accused him of threatening to “set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships.” In October, the company accused him of barricading his property to avoid being served with the lawsuit, NBC News reported.

Seaver denied “each and every allegation” in a court response, CBS News reported. He acknowledged using blunt language but said the texts were private exchanges with Nozell, whom he described as a longtime friend. The two men were “frustrated, grieving, and discussing strategy following Ms. Parton’s illness and death,” his filing said. Seaver said his comments about Dollywood reflected concern that associates were harming Parton’s brand, not a threat of violence.

According to NBC News, Seaver said the dispute stemmed from work his security company did at Parton’s hotel in downtown Nashville. His company was owed approximately $251,000 for that work, he said in an affidavit. The motion to dismiss did not address the status of that payment dispute.