Dolly Parton’s Manager Seeks Restraining Order Against Nephew

Less than a month after Dolly Parton’s death, a dispute over her business empire has landed in a Nashville courtroom.

She's Alive, the company managing Parton’s business interests, has asked a Davidson County court for a restraining order against her nephew, Bryan Seaver. Seaver was Parton’s longtime head of security and was the family member who publicly announced her death.

Parton died at 80 on Aug. 25 after a brief battle with cancer.

What the company alleges

She's Alive, run by Parton’s longtime manager Danny Nozell, accuses Seaver of threatening the company and trying to pressure it for money.

According to the filing, Seaver referenced his past work with private military contractors, his access to weapons and his capacity for violence. The company says the messages began before Parton’s death and became more intense afterward.

One alleged email, dated Sept. 3, says: “I’m not an entertainment person. I’m a killer.” Another allegedly threatened to launch a podcast targeting Parton’s business partners unless he was paid.

The company says the dispute has already led to staff departures, including Parton’s trusts and estates attorney, and that it has hired private security for employees. It is also seeking financial damages from Seaver.

Seaver denies making threats

Seaver says the restraining-order request is “spurious” and a “publicity stunt.”

He acknowledges sending the messages but says they were private conversations written while grieving and taken out of context. He says some of the comments were about specific business partners he believed had mistreated or frightened Parton.

Seaver also says he trusted Nozell and viewed their exchanges as private conversations between friends. He has accused those behind his firing of acting in bad faith and trying to profit from Parton’s legacy.

The security job

Seaver was fired Sept. 15 after roughly 20 years protecting Parton and her properties. A new security team has since taken over her Nashville-area homes and other properties.

The firing letter cited changes in property ownership and said the decision was made by the DP Dean Trust Group to protect the trust and its beneficiaries.

Seaver, the son of Parton’s sister Cassie, had taken over the family security business from his father, Larry.

What happens next

The requested order would keep Seaver at least 1,000 feet from She's Alive facilities and employees and prevent him from contacting people doing business with the company. IBTimes UK reported that a Nashville judge granted a temporary order on Sept. 22, although other reports have described the filing as a request still being considered.

The dispute comes as Parton’s estate and business interests, reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars, are being managed through the DP Dean Trust, named after Parton and her late husband, Carl Dean.

As of the Tennessean’s reporting, Seaver had not yet filed a formal response in court.