Dolly Parton’s estate voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against her nephew and former head of security, Bryan Seaver, on Thursday. The dismissal is without prejudice, allowing the case to be refiled.
The lawsuit and restraining order
She’s Alive LLC, the company run by Parton’s manager, Danny Nozell, to oversee her estate, alleged that Seaver had made threats against the estate and related companies. The estate had obtained a temporary restraining order against him.
Court documents alleged that Seaver’s conduct began a few weeks before Parton’s death. They claimed he wrote that he would “destroy the entire brand” and told an entertainment attorney, “I’m not an entertainment person; I’m a killer.” The filings also alleged that several security employees left their jobs out of concern for their safety and that remaining staff stopped going to the office.
Seaver’s lawyers said the communications had been taken out of context. They asked the court to deny an injunction and dissolve an extension of the temporary restraining order, arguing that its terms affected his work as an estate beneficiary and his family relationships. In an opposition filed last month, they said a broad restriction on contact with people connected to the estate could prevent him from communicating with trustees and their lawyers during the estate administration.
Family statements
Parton’s sister Freida defended Seaver in a Facebook statement and said there “is no feud within our family” despite the company and estate dispute. Another sister, Stella, wrote on Facebook that their brother Coy “Denver” Parton had died less than a month before Dolly Parton and that the family was “still intact and moving forward.”
