A Tennessee judge on Wednesday slapped a temporary restraining order on Dolly Parton’s nephew and his private security firm after the late country icon's estate accused him of making violent threats and demanding cash.
The order bans Bryan Seaver and his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, from stepping foot on property owned by She’s Alive — the entity founded to manage and protect Parton’s estate — or coming within 1,000 feet of its employees and business partners.
Judge’s findings noted Seaver's "claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate" alongside alleged demands for payment, calling his communications "concerning."
She's Alive, headed by Parton’s longtime manager Danny Nozell, fired Seaver and his security detail last week, telling the court in filings that his "terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable."
Court documents detail a barrage of increasingly hostile messages allegedly sent by Seaver starting shortly before Parton’s death from cancer last month. In one Sept. 1 message cited in court filings, Seaver allegedly wrote: "I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships and telling the violations these people have done on us. It’s going to be great. Or f——— pay me."
The complaint further alleges that Seaver boasted about his work for private military contractors during the Iraq War, called himself an "international arms dealer," and threatened to burn down the beloved singer's legacy.
The alleged intimidation campaign spooked estate staff, forcing employee resignations, the departure of the estate's lead attorney, and the hiring of private security to guard workers at their homes, according to court documents.
Seaver, whom Parton personally selected to announce her passing, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Representatives for his security company could not be reached, and a woman speaking through a doorbell camera at Seaver's Fairview residence declined to comment.
Metropolitan Nashville Police Department spokesperson Kristin Mumford confirmed Wednesday that no police reports against Seaver are currently in their system.
A court hearing on the restraining order is set for Oct. 7.
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