Dolly Parton’s estate has filed a temporary restraining order against nephew Bryan Seaver, her one-time head of security, Us can confirm.
According to court records viewed by Us, She’s Alive, LLC filed the request on Tuesday, September 22, asking for the restraining order to be immediately granted. (Parton designated the LLC to look after her business interests in the event of her death.)
Parton’s manager Danny Nozell and the estate accused Seaver of invoking “his self-proclaimed military-contractor experience, access to weapons, and capacity for violence to extort [Parton’s estate] into giving into his demands for money.”
The alleged intimidation began in the weeks leading up to Parton’s death on August 25 at age 80.
Per the filing, obtained by Us, Seaver described himself as “literally an international arms dealer and mercenary.”
Seaver allegedly wrote in one message, “Her money better be bigger than I can make elsewhere or I’m going to f*** everyone. I am about to become the hand of retribution for my entire family.”
Another allegedly said, “I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnership and telling the violations these people have done on us.”
“I am [seeking] vengeance for my people for the next 50 years. I have no debt. I only own swords and guns,” Seaver allegedly told Nozell. “All I have is animosity and memory. But I’m going to spend the next times I have on earth ratf***ing anyone that has ever betrayed my family… All I do is warfare… Everyone needs to be worried about what I might do.”
In a statement to TMZ, Seaver, who was appointed by Parton to publicly announce her death in August, claimed his messages were taken out of context.
“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,” Seaver told the outlet. “However, nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by.”
“I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny, who I thought was my friend and he fancies himself a gangster,” Seaver continued. “A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving.”
Regarding the “ratf***ing” comment, he claimed, “I was talking about people that have done bad to Dolly in business — a specific company that scared her and intimated her. Those comments were about specific, horrible business partners that have done wrong to her and I stand by that.”
Earlier this month, Seaver and his various security companies were notified that they had been terminated from providing services for Parton’s properties.
Seaver and his team told TMZ that they were “dismayed by the unexpected and, so far, unexplained actions” taken by Parton’s estate since her death.
“We remain unshakably resolved to fulfill her final directive to protect her family, and we refuse to be intimidated by those whose actions we believe are being taken in bad faith and with the intent to profit from the life of someone who willingly gave so much,” Seaver’s camp said.
