Dolly Parton Estate Hearing Delayed as Nephew Seeks Lawyer
A Nashville court has delayed a hearing in the legal case between Dolly Parton's estate and her nephew Bryan Seaver, moving it from Oct. 9 to Oct. 20. Chancellor I'Ashea L. Myles granted the delay on Oct. 6 after Seaver said he needed more time to hire a lawyer, according to Billboard.
The case was filed on Sept. 22 by She's Alive LLC, the estate holding company run by Parton's longtime manager Danny Nozell. That was less than a month after Parton's death on Aug. 25. The Oct. 20 hearing will decide whether to impose an injunction, a court order that would bar Seaver from interfering with the estate's businesses or contacting staff for the duration of the litigation.
For now, a temporary restraining order remains in force. Chancellor Myles finalised that order on Sept. 23. It requires Seaver to leave Parton's businesses alone and to stay at least 1,000 feet away from staff members. It had been due to expire on Oct. 9. It will now stay in place until Oct. 20.
The lawsuit alleges Seaver served as Parton's head of security and announced her death in an Instagram video. It further alleges he then sought money from the estate and sent threatening messages that invoked his military background. Those messages, as quoted in the filing, include "I'm a killer" and "All I do is warfare. Everyone needs to be worried about what I might do."
The filing also alleges Seaver threatened to "set up a podcast ruining Dolly's brand partnerships." The claims have not been tested in court. The Oct. 20 hearing concerns only the request for a longer-term injunction, not a final ruling on the allegations.
Seaver said in his request for more time that he has not yet hired a lawyer and lacks the legal knowledge or skills to proceed without retained counsel. He filed the motion for a continuance, a formal request to postpone a hearing, on Oct. 2. Under the revised schedule, he is due to file a written response by Oct. 13 once he has a lawyer.
The estate opposed the delay. In an Oct. 5 filing, it alleged Seaver had attempted to evade service of legal papers by stringing barbed wire across the front door of his Tennessee home. Service is the formal process of delivering court documents to a party in a case.
For people following the estate, the next step is that Oct. 13 written response, followed by the hearing a week later. The court will then decide whether the restrictions on contact and interference should continue while the lawsuit proceeds.
