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A bitter battle over Dolly Parton’s legacy took a dramatic turn Tuesday when her longtime manager sought a restraining order against the country icon’s nephew.
Danny Nozell, who runs She’s Alive, LLC — an entity she created to oversee her business interests — filed for a restraining order against Bryan Seaver in Nashville, according to the Associated Press. Parton chose Seaver to publicly announce her death. The singer-songwriter died Aug. 25.
Less than a month later, a behind-the-scenes feud erupted into a legal battle.
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Dolly Parton’s longtime manager, Danny Nozell, filed for a restraining order against Dolly Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, after alleged threatening messages. (Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images)
Nozell and She’s Alive accused Seaver of sending increasingly threatening messages in the weeks leading up to their request for a temporary restraining order. The filing came after She’s Alive fired Seaver over his alleged “terrorizing conduct.”
Court documents obtained by the Associated Press show text messages and emails allegedly sent by Seaver.
The messages initially included threats to destroy the brand and, after Parton’s death, allegedly showed Seaver reveling in his newfound fame and calling himself an “international arms dealer.”
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Danny Nozell and She’s Alive, LLC, accused Bryan Seaver of “terrorizing conduct” before firing Bryan Seaver from the company. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
In one message written on Sept. 1 and included in the court documents, Seaver said: “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—ing pay me.”
According to the court documents, the alleged messages rattled those within Parton’s business circle, leading several employees to resign and her trusts and estates attorney to step away. She’s Alive also brought in private security to protect employees at work and at their homes.
She’s Alive terminated Seaver on Sept. 15 and asked the court to bar Parton’s nephew from contacting or coming within 1,000 feet of its employees, attorneys and business partners.
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The alleged messages reportedly prompted employees to resign, an attorney to leave and She’s Alive to hire private security. (Courtesy of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library)
Seaver pushed back against the allegations in a statement shared with TMZ.
“I am a career soldier and military contractor and do conduct arms deals for foreign governments. I am a security professional and I am a killer,” he told the outlet. “However, nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by.”
He claimed the messages had been taken out of context to make them appear threatening.
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Bryan Seaver denied making threats, claiming the messages were taken out of context and exchanged privately while Bryan Seaver and Danny Nozell were grieving Dolly Parton. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
“I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny who I thought was my friend and he fancies himself a gangster,” he said. “A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving.”
Digital has reached out to representatives for both Nozell and Seaver for additional comment.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
