Dolly Parton’s nephew denied accusations that he threatened to use violence and destroy his aunt’s legacy, telling the court the messages were taken out of context from a specific business dispute, according to a new court filing.
Bryan Seaver submitted an affidavit on Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, in response to a temporary restraining order request by She’s Alive, the entity that manages and protects Parton’s professional property and business. The company had accused Seaver last month of sending increasingly threatening messages and describing himself as an “international arms dealer” as part of the 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 said.
“SAPS had not been paid since approximately one to two weeks before Ms. Parton died on August 25, 2026,” Seaver said.
All invoices from Seaver prior to Parton’s death were sent to Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager who runs She’s Alive, he said in the affidavit. The messages referred to in the restraining order were sent directly to Nozell, Seaver said.
Seaver said in his affidavit that the messages were “sent in the course of private conversations between two friends” and that they were never sent to employees of She’s Alive, referred to as “SAL” in the filing.
“I have never threatened physical harm to Mr. Nozell, to any SAL employee, contractor, attorney, advisor, or business partner, or to 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 at not being paid by the company managing her hotel, Herschend Family Entertainment. He said the podcast conversation was part of a larger discussion on the large number of media requests Seaver received following his aunt’s death, which Nozell was advising him on.
The message from Seaver read, “I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships and telling the violations these people have done on us. It’s going to be great. Or f------ pay me.”
“They were not a threat made to SAL or any third party. Mr. Nozell never replied that I should not do it or that it was a bad idea,” Seaver said in the affidavit.
Seaver also included screenshots of messages in which he references being an international arms dealer in his filing. Part of Seaver’s security work involves working as an arms broker between the U.S. government and the Haitian National Police, he clarified in the affidavit.
The screenshots in Seaver’s filing include a purported reply from Nozell to the message saying, “You should promote that.”
The messages appear to be in the context of the numerous media requests Seaver has received following Parton’s death. Seaver also wrote, “I just sold 29 million dollars worth of ammo to Haiti. I’m not exactly a media person, Danny,” according to the filing.
Other messages from Seaver included in his filing appear to express a desire to cut the Herschend Family Entertainment out of Parton’s business dealings. Seaver wrote that he would “ratf--- every Herschend entity I can possibly conjure.”
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 the “slang” to mean “undercut or outmaneuver someone in business or politics.”
“It does not mean physical harm, and I did not intend it that way,” Seaver’s affidavit said. “I have never sent anything to Dollywood or HFE threatening to harm their brand or their personnel.”
Seaver also denied allegations made in court that he attempted to avoid being served legal paperwork in this case by putting barbed wire at his front door and caution tape at his home. He said that the request for barbed wire 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, beginning early in the morning and continuing during the day,” Seaver said. “The media is constantly at my home.”
The barbed wire and tape were put in the home by Seaver’s son and the purpose was to protect the family “from unwanted approaches, not to evade service of process,” the affidavit said.
Seaver’s company has since received the more than $250,000 payment and has been replaced as the security company employed by She’s Alive, according to the affidavit.
In Seaver’s opposition to the restraining order issued earlier this month, he notes that the restrictions are overly broad. The terms say that he cannot have contact 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 those people and entities are,” Seaver said. “I could violate the Order without knowing it simply by going about my business in Nashville.”
He also noted that this would likely include his own family members, as his mother, sisters, aunts and cousins have employment or connections to Parton’s estate.
“A restriction extending to everyone who ‘has or may have’ a business relationship with SAL could reach ordinary communications with close family members,” Seaver said.