Dolly Parton's Estate Seeks Hospital Bodycam Footage in Nephew Dispute

Dolly Parton's estate has asked Vanderbilt University for body-worn camera footage from the hospital where the singer died, Billboard reported. The estate filed the subpoena, a court order that requires someone to hand over records, on Oct. 28.

The request covers all footage from officers at Vanderbilt Medical Center from Aug. 24 into the early hours of Aug. 25. Parton died at the hospital on those dates, at age 80, after a brief battle with cancer. The estate wants the recordings because of an alleged altercation between her nephew, Bryan Seaver, and police at the hospital that day.

Seaver is Parton's nephew and her former head of security. He announced her death in an Instagram video in August. Since then, his relationship with the estate has become a court fight.

The estate's company, She's Alive LLC, is run by Parton's longtime manager, Danny Nozell. The company sued Seaver, accusing him of trying to extort money through text messages that threatened violence after her death. A judge issued a temporary restraining order, a court order that bars one person from contacting another while a case is pending, which keeps Seaver from further contact. A judge later extended that order after new court filings.

The estate also alleges that Seaver used barbed wire and caution tape to avoid being served with the lawsuit. These are allegations, and no court has ruled on them.

Seaver denies threatening anyone. He says his words were taken out of context. His lawyers, Dominic Leonardo and James Collier, say the estate has turned a friendly exchange into a claim of terror.

A key preliminary hearing in the case is set for Nov. 10. It is the next scheduled step in the court process.

The family has also been asked about the dispute in public. In September, Parton's sister, Freida Parton, said there is no feud within the family.