Dolly Parton’s estate is seeking a restraining order against her nephew, Bryan Seaver, accusing him of threatening violence and attempting to destroy the country music star’s legacy and business empire. Court documents filed in Nashville on Tuesday outline the estate’s claims that Seaver, who owns a company that provided Parton’s security detail and was chosen by her to announce her death, has sent increasingly threatening messages.
She’s Alive, the entity that manages and protects Parton’s professional property and business, filed the temporary restraining order request. According to the filings, Seaver's conduct made his continued retention untenable, leading to his termination last week along with his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services.
The court documents detail a series of text messages and emails that She’s Alive alleges were sent by Seaver starting shortly before Parton’s death. The messages reportedly began with threats to ruin Parton’s brand and later depicted Seaver reveling in his perceived newfound fame, referring to himself as an “international arms dealer.”
One message from Sept. 1, included in the court documents, stated: “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.”
Seaver also allegedly invoked his past experience working for private military contractors overseas during the Iraq War as part of these threats, according to the complaint. The estate claims these messages have led to the resignation of Parton’s trusts and estates attorney and employees of She’s Alive. The entity has also reportedly hired private security for its employees, including at their homes.
The requested restraining order aims to prevent Seaver from contacting or approaching employees, attorneys, and business partners of She’s Alive within 1,000 feet. It also seeks to stop him from interfering with the entity's business relationships.
Dolly Parton, a beloved personality in music and beyond, is known for hundreds of songs, including hits like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “I Will Always Love You.” Her work has achieved over 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams.