Dolly Parton's nephew asks judge to lift restraining order in estate dispute
Bryan Seaver, the nephew of Dolly Parton, urged a Nashville judge on Oct. 13 to dissolve a temporary restraining order obtained by the singer's estate.
Seaver is the son of Parton's sister and her former head of security. The estate flagged allegedly violent messages he sent after Parton's death in August at age 80, and won a short-term court order limiting his contact and conduct while the case continues.
The entity behind the action is She's Alive LLC, which manages Parton's posthumous affairs. It is run by Danny Nozell, Parton's longtime manager, according to Billboard.
The estate filed its lawsuit on Sept. 22. In it, the estate alleged Seaver used threats of violence to try to extort money and sought an order prohibiting him from interfering with its business operations.
On Sept. 23, a Tennessee judge ruled that Seaver and his company presented a "present and continuing disruption and threat" to She's Alive LLC, according to ABC News. Seaver had publicly announced his aunt's death days earlier.
In his written response, Seaver argued he never made serious threats of violence. He said his words had been taken "out of context," a denial he also gave to the New York Times.
Much of the filing centres on exchanges between Seaver and Nozell. Seaver said Nozell reacted with a "heart" and "haha" to messages in which Seaver called himself an "international arms dealer and mercenary" and wrote "all I do is warfare." He characterised the language as bravado between two men who knew each other well.
He offered similar explanations for other phrases cited by the estate. He said his use of "ratf--k" was vulgar slang for undercutting or outmanoeuvring someone in business or politics, not causing physical harm. He said his line "I'm a killer" in an email to a lawyer contrasted his military background with the entertainment industry.
Money is also part of the dispute. Seaver said his security company was terminated by the estate last month. He said his only real dispute was a $250,000 debt for prior security services, which has now been paid.
His lawyers, Dominic Leonardo and James Collier, argued the order is too broad. They said it bars Seaver from communicating with his own mother and with trust lawyers distributing his inheritance from Parton.
What the estate fears is speech, the lawyers argued. They pointed to Seaver's stated wish to tell his family's story on a podcast, to speak to Billboard Magazine, and to embarrass a business partner.
The estate is due to file a written reply by Oct. 16. A Nashville court will hold a hearing on Oct. 20 on whether to extend the restraint into a longer-term injunction, a court order that would last beyond the temporary period.
