Dolly Parton’s nephew and longtime security chief said in a Tennessee court filing Tuesday that he and Parton’s longtime manager, Danny Nozell, were once close friends and allies. That relationship fractured after Nozell sought a restraining order, accusing him of threatening violence and vowing to damage Parton’s legacy and business empire.
In an affidavit opposing a permanent restraining order, Bryan Seaver said the text messages Nozell presented as evidence were part of a “private conversation between two friends who were both frustrated, grieving and discussing strategy.” The messages were exchanged shortly before and after Parton’s Aug. 25 death.
Seaver also denied sending threats to any of Parton’s businesses, business partners or employees.
The filing marks Seaver’s first public defense since a bitter dispute within the country music icon’s inner circle became public soon after her death. Nozell and Seaver now find themselves on opposing sides of the legal fight.
Seaver’s court response says Nozell showed no alarm when he received the messages and even agreed with or responded positively to some of them. Seaver claims Nozell encouraged him to promote the military and firearms-related aspects of his security company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, as an effective marketing strategy before later citing those same details as evidence that Seaver posed a danger.
She’s Alive, an entity founded and operated by Nozell to manage and protect Parton’s estate, terminated Seaver and SAPS in early September. The organization filed for a restraining order the following week, arguing that his “terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable.”
In granting the temporary restraining order, Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles cited Seaver’s “claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate.”
The two sides are scheduled to present their arguments to Myles at a hearing on Oct. 20. Emails seeking comment were sent to attorneys for She’s Alive and Nozell.
Seaver said the order caught him off guard because it was issued while he was in Haiti performing contract security work.
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Under the order, Seaver and SAPS are barred from entering She’s Alive property or communicating with, or coming within 1,000 feet (about 300 meters) of, She’s Alive employees and business partners. The restrictions also prohibit Seaver from interfering with the organization’s business relationships.
Seaver argued that the order is so expansive—and Parton’s business network so far-reaching—that large portions of Nashville, as well as some of his own relatives, could effectively be off-limits.
In a Sept. 1 message cited by She’s Alive, Seaver 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.”
Seaver said his anger and demand for payment stemmed from more than $250,000 his company was owed for completed work by Herschend Family Entertainment. HFE operates Parton’s Dollywood amusement park and the Songteller Hotel, which opened after her death.
Seaver acknowledged that his messages to Nozell were excessively crude and profane, but he denied allegations that he had “menaced and intimidated” HFE employees.
As an exhibit, he submitted a 2024 letter from Parton praising him and his company. Parton had personally selected Seaver to announce her death after she succumbed to cancer.
Parton was a beloved country music legend, philanthropist and cultural icon who wrote hundreds of songs, including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.” Her music generated more than 100 million sales worldwide and over 1 billion online streams.
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