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The estate of late American country music icon Dolly Parton has become embroiled in a legal dispute less than a month after her death, with the corporation overseeing her business interests seeking court protection from her nephew and former security chief, Bryan Seaver.
Parton, who died in August at the age of 80, reportedly left behind an estate valued at about $450m (£335m). The dispute has now brought attention to the management of her business interests and the relationship between her estate and members of her family.
She’s Alive, the corporation responsible for overseeing Parton’s business interests, filed a restraining order against Seaver on Tuesday at the Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville, Tennessee.
The filing accused Seaver of embarking on what the corporation described as an increasingly aggressive campaign against the company and people associated with Parton, allegedly in an effort to obtain money from the late singer’s estate.
Corporation Accuses Former Security Chief
According to court documents reported by The Telegraph, Seaver’s former security operation, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, LLC (SAPS), was described as a heavily armed, paramilitary-style organisation rather than a conventional corporate security team.
The filing alleged that the company had military-grade weapons and employed dozens of personnel.
The complaint also reportedly contained text messages in which a person identified as Seaver allegedly threatened a business associate connected to Dollywood.
One of the messages allegedly stated that he would become “the hand of retribution for my entire family”.
The filing further alleged that Seaver described himself as a “killer” in a message sent to one of Parton’s lawyers on September 3.
Seaver has disputed the interpretation of his messages and denied that they amounted to threats.
Podcast Allegedly Targeted Parton’s Brand
The legal dispute also centres on allegations that Seaver planned to launch a podcast aimed at damaging Parton’s business relationships and reputation.
According to the complaint, Seaver allegedly told Danny Nozell, manager of She’s Alive, that he planned to produce a podcast “dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships” while exposing alleged wrongdoing involving his family.
Nozell reportedly dismissed Seaver from his position on September 15.
The court filing also claimed that a lawyer working for Parton’s estate and trust resigned after allegedly receiving what were described as “harassing and ominous threats” from Seaver during a telephone conversation.
The corporation further alleged that the dispute had affected employees, with some reportedly leaving their jobs while others hired private security because of concerns over the alleged threats.
Seaver Defends His Comments
Seaver has rejected the suggestion that his messages amounted to threats, arguing that statements cited in the legal action had been taken out of context.
In a statement to TMZ on Tuesday, he described himself as a career soldier, military contractor and security professional while acknowledging some of the comments attributed to him.
“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. However, nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by,” he said.
Seaver also characterised his exchanges with Nozell as private conversations between two people dealing with grief following Parton’s death.
“I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny, who I thought was my friend and he fancies himself a gangster. A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving,” he added.
Dispute Follows Parton’s Death
She’s Alive said Parton had previously valued having relatives work within her businesses when they possessed skills suited to their respective roles.
However, the corporation alleged that Seaver later made threats against employees, legal representatives and business associates.
The company accused him of allegedly threatening to “destroy the entire brand” and saying he would “ratfuck every (business party) entity”.
The latest legal action comes as Parton’s estate begins navigating the affairs left behind following the singer’s death.
Despite the reported $450m value of her estate, the corporation has not publicly provided further details about the financial disagreement involving Seaver or disclosed the amount of money allegedly at the centre of the dispute.
The legal proceedings could now determine how the allegations are addressed and whether further details about the dispute emerge.
For now, the case has added a legal dimension to the aftermath of Parton’s death, with her business interests, employees and associates caught up in a dispute involving a member of her extended family.
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