The rift inside Dolly Parton's circle deepened this week when Bryan Seaver, the singer's nephew and former head of security, filed court papers in Nashville denying that he ever threatened violence or set out to destroy her legacy, pushing back against a restraining order sought by the entity now running her estate.
Seaver is the son of Parton's sister Cassie Parton and served as the country legend's head of security for years. He was the family member who announced Parton's death in a social media video on August 25. Weeks later, Danny Nozell, Parton's longtime manager who now runs She's Alive LLC, the company created to oversee her professional trust, filed suit alleging extortion, coercion and threats that had driven employees to quit, refuse to come into the office, or seek personal security.
The filing included text messages in which Seaver allegedly described himself as an international arms dealer, told her entertainment attorney that he was not an entertainment person but a killer, and vowed to destroy the entire brand. In September, Davidson County Chancellor I'Ashea L. Myles granted a temporary restraining order, citing Seaver's claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate. Under the order, Seaver and his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, must stay 1,000 feet away from She's Alive employees and cut off communication with anyone tied to the company.
In an affidavit filed Tuesday opposing the order becoming permanent, Seaver said the messages were private conversations between two frustrated, grieving friends discussing strategy, and that Nozell, his longtime confidant, did not react with alarm at the time and even agreed with some of them. Seaver argued the dispute is really about money: his firm was owed about $251,000 for security services at the Nashville hotel and museum tied to Parton and had not been paid since shortly before her death.
Seaver also said Nozell had encouraged him to publicly play up the military side of his security company as a smart promotional move, then turned around and used that same profile as evidence of his capacity for dangerous violence. He insisted he never sent threatening messages to any of Parton's businesses, partners or employees.
Earlier this month, the estate accused Seaver of barricading his property with barbed wire, yellow caution tape and no trespassing signs to avoid being served with the lawsuit, with photos appearing in filings reviewed by national outlets. A hearing on whether the temporary order becomes permanent is scheduled for October 20. Parton's sister Freida posted on Instagram on September 23 that there was no feud within the family and that everyone loved Bryan, a message that now sits uneasily alongside the courtroom battle unfolding in Nashville.