Dolly Parton’s estate secured a temporary restraining order in Nashville court against her nephew Bryan Seaver, following allegations that he sent threatening messages and claimed access to weapons after being fired from his role running the singer’s security detail.
Just weeks after the death of country music icon Dolly Parton on August 25, 2026, a bitter dispute erupted between the singer’s estate and a member of her inner circle. Danny Nozell, who manages Parton’s business interests through She’s Alive, LLC, filed for a temporary restraining order in a Tennessee court against Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, and his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, LLC.
The legal filing revealed that Seaver had been handpicked by Parton to announce her death from cancer in an Instagram video shared with the public. However, court documents paint a starkly different picture of the nephew in the weeks following the bereavement, detailing allegations of coercion, extortion, and violent threats directed at management staff and business partners.
Escalating Threats and Text Messages Filed in Court
According to court paperwork reviewed by entertainment outlets, Seaver’s communications turned increasingly aggressive both before and after Parton’s passing. The documents include emails and text message screenshots showing Seaver allegedly threatening to disrupt Parton’s business empire and brand partnerships if financial demands were not met.
“I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships and telling the violations these people have done on us. It’s going to be great. Or f—ing pay me.”
Bryan Seaver, via court documents reported by Fox News
Additional filings show Seaver invoking a paramilitary background. TMZ reported that the manager claimed Bryan began invoking his self-proclaimed military-contractor experience, access to weapons, and capacity for violence
to pressure management into yielding to demands for money.
The alleged text messages also captured Seaver writing, I’m not an entertainment person. I’m a killer
and I’m going to ratf**k every entity I can possibly conjure,
according to court records cited by Variety. The filing notes that these messages rattled staff to the point where trust and estate attorneys stepped away, employees resigned, and the management company hired private security to protect workers at their homes and offices.
Termination of Security Contracts and Court Order Terms
In response to the alleged conduct, She’s Alive terminated Seaver and his private security firm on September 15, citing terrorizing conduct that made their continued retention untenable. The estate then sought immediate legal protection.
A Tennessee judge granted the temporary restraining order, which mandates that Seaver and Squadron Augmented Protection Services refrain from entering any She’s Alive property, contacting, or coming within 1,000 feet of company employees, attorneys, and business partners. The order also bars Seaver from interfering with ongoing business relationships.
Kristin Mumford, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, confirmed in an email to reporters that there are no reports against Seaver logged in their system.
Seaver Denies Threats and Claims Comments Were Taken Out of Context
Seaver pushed back against the allegations in a statement provided to Fox News and TMZ, acknowledging his background while defending his communications as private frustration.
“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.”
Bryan Seaver, via statement to TMZ
He asserted that the text messages were stripped of their proper context. I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny, who I thought was my friend, and he fancies himself a gangster,
Seaver said, adding that the exchanges consisted of two grieving individuals engaging in rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving.
A court hearing regarding the restraining order is scheduled for October 7.
По теме
