Dolly Parton’s nephew has denied accusations that he threatened to use violence and destroy his aunt’s inheritance, telling the court that the messages were taken out of context and a specific business dispute, according to a new court filing.
Bryan Seaver filed an affidavit Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, in response to a request for a temporary restraining order from She’s Alive, the entity that manages and protects Parton’s professional assets and businesses. The company had accused Seaver last month of sending increasingly threatening messages and describing itself as an “international arms dealer” in connection with those threats.
According to Seaver, the situation arose from a dispute between his security company and the company that operates Dolly’s Hotel and Museum in downtown Nashville. Seaver’s company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, provided security for the hotel and was owed approximately $251,000 in services rendered, the affidavit states.
“The SAPS had not been paid for approximately one to two weeks before Ms Parton’s death on August 25, 2026,” Seaver said.
All of Seaver’s invoices before Parton’s death were sent to Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager who runs She’s Alive, he said in the affidavit. The messages mentioned in the restraining order were sent directly to Nozell, Seaver said.
Seaver said in his affidavit that the messages were “sent during private conversations between two friends” and were never sent to employees of She’s Alive, referred to as “SAL” in the filing.
“I never threatened physical harm to Mr. Nozell, any employee, contractor, attorney, advisor or business partner of SAL, or anyone else associated with SAL,” Seaver said. “I have no intention of doing so.”
Seaver describes his messages to Nozell regarding the alleged threat to ruin Parton’s legacy as part of his frustration over not getting paid by the company that runs his hotel, Herschend Family Entertainment. He said the podcast conversation was part of a larger discussion about the large number of media requests Seaver received after his aunt’s death, and on which Nozell advised him.
Seaver’s post read: “I’m going to create a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly brand partnerships and telling about the violations these people have committed against us. It’s going to be awesome. Or f—— pay me.”
“They did not pose a threat to SAL or any third party. Mr. Nozell never responded that I shouldn’t do it or that it was a bad idea,” Seaver said in the affidavit.
Seaver also included in his filing screenshots of messages in which he referred to his status as an international arms dealer. Part of Seaver’s security work involves working as an arms broker between the U.S. government and the Haitian National Police, he said in the affidavit.
Screenshots from Seaver’s filing include a purported response from Nozell to the post saying, “You should promote this.” »
The messages appear to come against the backdrop of the numerous media requests Seaver received following Parton’s death. Seaver also wrote: “I just sold $29 million worth of ammo to Haiti. I’m not really a media guy, Danny,” according to the filing.
Other messages from Seaver included in his filing appear to express a desire to cut Herschend Family Entertainment from Parton’s business dealings. Seaver wrote that he would “miss…all the Herschend entities I could possibly conjure up.”
A spokesperson for Herschend Family Entertainment did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Seaver admitted in his affidavit that his language was crude, but said he understood “slang” to mean “undermining or outmaneuvering someone in business or politics.”
“This does not mean physical harm, and I did not intend to do it that way,” Seaver’s affidavit states. “I have never sent anything to Dollywood or HFE that threatened to harm their brand or their staff.”
Seaver also denied allegations made in court that he tried to avoid being served legal documents in the case by placing barbed wire outside his front door and caution tape at his home. He said the barbed wire request was actually made by his teenage son while Seaver was working.
“People repeatedly came to our front door, rang the doorbell, knocked and pulled on the screen door, starting early in the morning and continuing throughout the day,” Seaver said. “The media are constantly at my house. »
The barbed wire and tape were installed in the home by Seaver’s son and the purpose was to protect the family “from unwanted approaches, not to escape service of process,” the affidavit states.
Seaver’s company has since received payment of more than $250,000 and has been replaced as the security company employed by She’s Alive, according to the affidavit.
In his opposition to the restraining order issued earlier this month, Seaver notes that the restrictions are too broad. The conditions state that he cannot have contact with or be within 1,000 feet of anyone who “has or may have” a business relationship with She’s Alive.
“I have no way of knowing who all of these people and entities are,” Seaver said. “I could unknowingly violate the Order simply by going about my business in Nashville.”
He also noted that this would likely include members of his own family, since his mother, sisters, aunts and cousins have jobs or ties to Parton’s estate.
“A restriction extending to anyone who ‘has or may have’ a business relationship with SAL could reach ordinary communications with immediate family members,” Seaver said.
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