{"id":676394,"date":"2026-11-06T04:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T04:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/676394\/"},"modified":"2026-11-06T04:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T04:18:10","slug":"dolly-partons-manager-dismisses-lawsuit-against-her-nephew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/676394\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolly Parton’s Manager Dismisses Lawsuit Against Her Nephew"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tDolly Parton<\/a>\u2019s longtime manager has dropped his lawsuit alleging that the singer\u2019s nephew, Bryan Seaver, posed a threat<\/a> to her business empire after her death.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a notice of voluntary dismissal filed Thursday, Danny Nozell and his lawyers said they were abandoning the claims without prejudice, meaning they could bring them again. The filing came shortly before Nozell\u2019s deadline to respond to Seaver\u2019s forceful denials of the allegations, and ahead of a hearing scheduled for Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\n\tLawyers for both sides did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone\u2018s requests for comment on the reason for the dismissal or whether the parties had reached a settlement.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the hearing, a Nashville judge was expected to consider extending a prior restraining order that barred Seaver from coming within 1,000 feet of Parton\u2019s employees and business partners, entering private property controlled by her posthumous company, She\u2019s Alive LLC, or engaging in disruptive or harassing conduct.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe bitter legal feud spilled into public view <\/a>in September when Nozell sued Seaver in Nashville Chancery Court, accusing him of waging an \u201cobscene, deliberate, and escalating campaign of threats\u201d intended to create \u201cfear and chaos to extort money for his personal gain.\u201d Nozell, who worked with and managed Parton for about two decades, is the sole manager of She\u2019s Alive, a company that oversees the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee and the SongTeller hotel in Nashville, which houses a museum dedicated to Parton. Seaver, the son of Parton\u2019s sister Cassie, vehemently denies threatening anyone.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe initial complaint, filed Sept. 22, cited a series of provocative messages sent by Seaver, which included statements such as, \u201cI am about to become the hand of retribution for my entire family,\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m not an entertainment person. I\u2019m a killer.\u201d In one message, Seaver allegedly threatened to launch a podcast aimed at damaging Parton\u2019s brand partnerships, ending with the apparent demand: \u201cOr fucking pay me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tSeaver forcefully disputed the allegations in court filings last month<\/a>. He said his \u201cpay me\u201d remark referred to $251,000 he was owed for security services he had already provided to Parton and reflected his frustration with a bank\u2019s new invoicing requirements. He further acknowledged that some of his private messages were profane, but he argued Nozell had taken them out of context to discredit him. Seaver said he was grieving Parton\u2019s illness and death when he sent them, and he claimed that Nozell had encouraged some of his sentiments and even \u201chearted\u201d a text in which Seaver said he was an arms dealer and mercenary. \u201cClearly, he wasn\u2019t frightened or intimidated,\u201d Seaver said of Nozell.<\/p>\n

\n\tSeaver was the family member who announced Parton\u2019s Aug. 25 death in a prerecorded video<\/a> posted to her Instagram account that drew millions of reactions. According to court filings, he previously worked for private military contractors and provided security for Parton and her properties through his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn granting the initial temporary restraining order<\/a> in September, Judge I\u2019Ashea L. Myles said the messages cited in the complaint appeared to combine threats with demands for payment. In her ruling, she cited one message allegedly sent Aug. 19, about a week before Parton\u2019s death at age 80<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m going to destroy the entire brand if you don\u2019t get these [Dollywood business partners] out of our bit,\u201d Seaver allegedly wrote.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn his response, Seaver included more context for the texts. In the same text where he mentioned he would \u201cdestroy the entire brand,\u201d he went on to say, \u201cI\u2019ll earn you more money by virtue of their exit. Embarrassment on them at every turn is the answer. Let me keep at them. It costs you nothing. I am your ally. This is long game you need to start doing on them. The Dollywood brand is dying.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tBut the judge said the messages appeared to establish a \u201crepeated course of conduct\u201d in which Seaver allegedly coupled \u201cthreats with demands for payment or other action,\u201d while invoking \u201chis claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tSeaver was removed from his security role with Parton\u2019s business interests on Sept. 15, according to a letter filed in the case from attorneys for She\u2019s Alive. The letter, obtained by Rolling Stone, made clear that his termination did not affect his separate status as a beneficiary of Parton\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe co-trustees will be in contact with you and the other beneficiaries in the near future regarding your interest as a beneficiary of the Trust,\u201d the letter stated. \u201cAll parties hope that this will be a smooth transition, and the trust group looks forward to corresponding with you as one of the beneficiaries.\u201d<\/p>\n