Dolly Parton’s manager seeks a restraining order against the late singer’s nephew
Por Miriam Gonzalez ·
The representative of the late singer Dolly Parton has filed for a restraining order against the artist’s nephew, who, until his dismissal a week ago, served as the diva’s head of security.
The manager, Danny Nozell, alleges in the lawsuit that this family member is carrying out a campaign of coercion, extortion, and violent threats, Variety reported.
These actions have terrified the employees and associates of the singer’s management company and trust, to the point that they now require their own personal security.
Nozell, of She’s Alive, LLC (SAL), fired Bryan Seaver (director of Squadron Augmented Protection Services, LLC, or SAPS) on September 15, about three weeks after the country music superstar’s death on August 25.
It was Seaver himself who announced his aunt’s death to the world via an Instagram video. However, a lengthy document filed by the trust with a Tennessee court late Tuesday afternoon paints a very different picture of Seaver than the respectful demeanor he displayed in that video announcing her death, according to Variety.
The complaint alleges that, using graphic and at times disturbing language, Seaver described himself as a mercenary and a “killer,” and threatened to interfere with Parton’s businesses—including Dollywood, the theme park created by the singer—if he did not receive adequate payment.
According to the lawsuit, these threats were made via text messages sent both before and after the artist’s death.
The court document refers to Seaver’s claims about a paramilitary past and notes that he has dozens of employees who possess military-grade weapons; it also indicates that some employees have stopped coming to work due to alleged intimidation, while a lawyer who handled Parton’s music affairs stopped working for her because of her nephew’s threatening language.
The brief filed by the attorneys for “She’s Alive” states: “Mr. Seaver began his campaign of threats, intimidation, and coercion a few weeks before Ms. Parton’s death. These threats continued after her death and were directed specifically at SAL’s staff, legal counsel, and business partners.”
In writing, he “swore to ‘destroy the entire brand,’ threatened to ‘screw over all the entities (the singer’s business partners)’ that help run Dollywood, and described himself as ‘literally an arms dealer and international mercenary.'”
According to Variety, which has reviewed the four parts of the restraining order petition and the subsequent jury trial, the documents contain explicit quotes and screenshots of angry text messages that Seaver allegedly sent to Nozell, Agencia EFE reported.