Dolly Parton’s nephew and longtime security chief told a Tennessee court on Tuesday that he was a close friend and ally of Parton’s longtime manager, Danny Nozell, before Nozell filed a restraining order accusing him of violence and threatening to destroy Parton’s legacy and business empire.
In an affidavit opposing the temporary order becoming permanent, Bryan Seaver said the text messages Nozell cited as evidence against him were “a private conversation between two friends who were both frustrated, grieving and discussing strategy.” The text messages were sent shortly before and after Parton’s death on Aug. 25.
Seaver said Parton never sent threatening messages to any of her businesses, business partners or employees.
The filings represent Seaver’s first public defense of himself since a serious rift opened up around the country music legend, with Nozell and Seaver on opposing sides, and became public knowledge shortly after his death.
Seaver’s court filing states that Nozell did not react flustered to her text messages at the time and agreed or responded positively to some of them. Seaver said Nozell encouraged him to publicly announce the military and weapons side of his security company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, as a smart business development move, then turned around and used them as evidence of Seaver’s dangerous capacity for violence.
She’s Alive, an organization run by Nozell and formed to manage and protect Parton’s property, terminated Seaver and SAPS in early September and filed a petition for a restraining order against him the following week, arguing that his “terrorizing behavior makes it untenable for him to continue detaining them.”
In granting the temporary restraining order, Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles cited Seaver’s allegations of “alleged access to weapons, experience with violence, and intent to retaliate.”
The two sides will present their cases to Myles at a hearing on October 20. Emails seeking comment were sent to She’s Alive and Nozell’s attorneys.
Seaver said he was stunned by the order while doing contract security work in Haiti.
Seaver and SAPS must refrain from entering any She’s Alive property or speaking to or being within 1,000 feet (approximately 1,000 feet) of She’s Alive employees and business partners. The order is also intended to prevent Seaver from interfering in business affairs.
In his response, Seaver argued that the order was too broad and that Parton’s business was so large that Nashville and even most of her own relatives were off-limits to her.
In a Sept. 1 message cited by She’s Alive, Seaver said: “I’m going to make a podcast dedicated to destroying Dolly’s brand partnerships and calling out the violations these people have committed against us. It’ll be awesome. Or f——— pay me.”
Seaver said his anger and demand stemmed from just over $250,000 owed to his company for completed work by Herschend Family Entertainment, which operates Parton’s amusement park, Dollywood, and the Songteller Hotel, which opened after her death.
Seaver acknowledged that the messages he sent to Nozell were extremely rude and disrespectful. He said allegations that he “threatened and intimidated” HFE employees were completely false.
He added Parton’s 2024 letter praising him and his company to the exhibition. Parton had specifically chosen Seaver to announce her death when she succumbed to cancer.
Parton was a beloved country music giant, philanthropist and cultural icon who wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.” His music has accumulated over 100 million total sales and over 1 billion online streams worldwide.