Dolly Parton's Management Seeks Restraining Order Against Fired Nephew Over Threats
The manager of Dolly Parton's estate has asked a Tennessee court for a restraining order against her nephew, former head of security, alleging a campaign of intimidation and threats that has caused staff to resign and require personal protection.
Dolly Parton's longtime manager, Danny Nozell, filed a petition in a Tennessee court seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against Bryan Seaver, the singer's nephew and former head of security. The filing, submitted on behalf of the estate's management company She’s Alive, LLC (SAL), alleges that Seaver engaged in a series of coercive actions, including extortion threats and violent language, that have frightened employees, legal counsel and business partners.
According to the court documents, Seaver, who was dismissed on Sept. 15, sent text messages describing himself as a "mercenary" and "killer" and warned he would "destroy the entire brand" if he was not paid. The messages reportedly included threats to Dollywood business partners and a plan to launch a podcast aimed at damaging the Parton brand. SAL claims the intimidation led several staff members and a trusts and estates attorney to quit, and that the company has had to hire private security for its offices and employees' homes.
"Mr. Seaver began his campaign of threats, intimidation, and coercion a few weeks prior to Ms. Parton’s passing. Those threats continued after her passing, and he aimed them directly at SAL’s personnel, counsel, and business partners," the filing states.
Seaver, who is the son of Parton's sister Cassie Parton, responded to media inquiries by acknowledging his background as a security professional and arms dealer but denied that his statements constituted threats, describing the exchanges as private, emotional conversations during a period of grief.
The petition seeks immediate, narrowly tailored relief, arguing that any delay would allow further intimidation of SAL staff and partners. The estate's lawyers contend that the alleged conduct represents an escalating safety crisis that cannot be remedied by monetary damages alone.
The dispute emerges as the Parton estate prepares to open a new museum and hotel in Nashville and launch a Broadway musical based on the singer’s life later this year.