The legal dispute between Dolly Parton’s family and some of her longtime associates appears to be easing, after her manager, Danny Nozell, voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against her nephew, Bryan Seaver.
Nozell filed a notice of voluntary dismissal in court on Thursday. In the lawsuit, he accused 49-year-old Seaver of threatening the business interests of the late music icon’s estate in an effort to secure payments, according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.
The publication reported that Nozell’s attorneys asked the judge to dismiss the case without prejudice. That would leave open the possibility of bringing the lawsuit again in the future.
Nozell and Parton’s nephew have been embroiled in a legal battle since shortly after Parton died on August 25 at age 80, following a brief battle with cancer.
The dismissal came as a deadline approached for Nozell to respond to Seaver, who had rejected the allegations made against him.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Seaver and Nozell for comment but has not received a response.
A lawsuit filed against the late Dolly Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver (R), by her manager, Danny Nozell (not pictured), was voluntarily dismissed on Thursday, according to Rolling Stone (Above, Parton and Seaver in 2017 in NYC)
Nozell’s lawsuit had accused Seaver of threatening the business interests of the late music icon’s estate in order to extract payments from it, but they asked to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled later (Above, John Sykes, Dolly Parton and Danny Nozell in 2022 in LA)
In a statement to TMZ on Thursday, Seaver’s attorney, Dominic J. Leonardo, said: “Mr. Seaver cares deeply about his Aunt Dolly, her music, her family and the incredible legacy she left behind. He has made a career out of protecting his aunt while she was alive and remains committed to Dolly and his entire family.”
“Mr. Seaver is grateful to put this misunderstanding behind him so that the entire family can continue to grieve peacefully and ensure that the bright light of Dolly’s legacy remains entirely untouched,” his attorney added.
The next hearing in the case had been scheduled for Tuesday, November 10.
Neither side has explained why Nozell withdrew the lawsuit, and representatives have not said whether the two parties reached a settlement.
Seaver had previously asked the judge to dismiss Nozell’s claims against him.
In his response, Seaver denied threatening Parton’s manager. He also said that text messages described as threatening were intended as jokes.
The lawsuit’s dismissal came days after Seaver publicly defended his sister, Rebecca Seaver, following her reported firing from Parton’s Life of Many Colors Museum.
“I am very proud of my sister Rebecca Seaver and her endeavors building Dolly’s archive and museum,” Seaver wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday.
Nozell and Parton’s nephew have been locked in a legal battle since shortly after Parton’s death on August 25 at 80 following a brief battle with cancer (Above, in 2019 in LA)
Seaver had denied threatening Parton’s manager, and he claimed that seemingly threatening text messages he sent were meant to be taken as jokes (Source: Dolly Parton’s Instagram)
He continued: “My cousin Danielle Parton is my closest family and my buddy. We are nearest in age and have always been pals.”
“I have always, and will forever, sing her praises and support her as she goes about her journey and career,” Seaver wrote.
“Both of these women are dynamos in their fields and there is no feud between us. I love them both with all my heart.”
The Daily Mail previously contacted representatives for Seaver, Parton’s estate and the museum for comment.
Seaver’s post followed a report by TMZ that Parton’s estate had dismissed Rebecca from her role as executive director of Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum, located inside the singer’s Nashville-based SongTeller Hotel.
Sources told the outlet that the staff members Rebecca supervised were also terminated from their museum positions.
The museum opened inside the hotel on September 29, according to TMZ. Rebecca had worked on the exhibition with Parton’s sister, Rachel Parton George.
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Seaver was dismissed from his own position in September as security chief for Parton’s properties and businesses.
The end of Nozell’s lawsuit comes days after Seaver spoke out in defense of his sister, Rebecca Seaver (R), after her recent firing from Parton’s Life of Many Colors Museum (Above, with Jada Star (L) on October 21 in Nashville, Tennessee)
That dismissal set the stage for the legal dispute, with Parton’s estate manager accusing Seaver of making threatening overtures. Seaver has denied the claims.
The messages emerged during separate legal proceedings concerning a temporary restraining order obtained by Parton’s estate against Seaver.
In a court filing last month, Seaver said the texts described as threats had been taken out of context. The dispute involved a Nashville property connected to Parton’s estate.
According to a court filing reviewed by Page Six on October 13, Seaver said he had been communicating with Nozell, his longtime friend and Parton’s manager, in a private text conversation.
Addressing earlier messages about his military background and experience with weapons, Seaver said Nozell had previously encouraged him to promote his work in the firearms industry.
Seaver said his pledge to “destroy Dolly’s brand partnerships” referred to business tactics, not physical violence.
He acknowledged using profanity in the messages, which were sent around the time of Parton’s death on August 25.
The dispute also involved an outstanding $251,000 payment to Seaver’s company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, for work carried out at properties owned by the late entertainer. Seaver said that payment has since been resolved.
Dolly’s Life of Many Colors Museum at her Nashville-based SongTeller Hotel opened in September
Parton, pictured in 2014 in Melbourne, Australia, died August 25 at the age of 80 after a brief and secret cancer battle
In his filing, Seaver also described concerns about the SongTeller Hotel in Nashville, including alleged safety violations, construction delays and guards he claimed had slept and used marijuana while on duty.
Seaver said Parton had supported his efforts to raise those concerns with Herschend Family Entertainment, the company operating the SongTeller Hotel and Dollywood.
He also included a letter Parton wrote on November 11, 2024, in which she described his organization as “very professional, very discreet, and very good at what they do,” according to the outlet. In the letter, Parton said Seaver had long overseen her security team and wanted him to meet with the businesses’ managers before they hired a security company.
Seaver said his relationship with Nozell appeared to improve after the messages described in the legal documents as threatening. The two exchanged friendlier texts, he claimed.
Seaver also said he and Nozell, who announced Parton’s death in a video in August, had discussed the possibility of his appearing as a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience.
In his filing, Seaver denied that his communications caused an estate attorney to resign from the trust.
He claimed Nozell told him on September 10 that two estate attorneys had stepped down because the bank had been “taking everything over.”
The latest court development follows allegations by She’s Alive LLC, the company overseen by Nozell, that Seaver had made threats involving violence and business sabotage. The company sought a restraining order, arguing that his actions had harmed the business and those connected to it.
Parton and Danny Nozell seen at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in LA in 2022
Seaver argued that the restraining order was overly broad, saying it barred him in some instances from coming within 1,000 feet of family members who work with She’s Alive.
He told the court that the dispute had drawn unwanted media attention, with reporters appearing at his home and contacting relatives, including his wife’s 96-year-old grandmother.
At one point, Seaver claimed that his 17-year-old son placed barbed wire near the entrance to the family home to deter unwanted visitors, according to the outlet.
Seaver also said a magnetized camera was found near his home, although he said it was unclear who had placed it there.