Dolly Parton’s nephew said in a court filing he was a close friend of her longtime manager before Danny Nozell took out a restraining order accusing him of threatening to destroy the country music star’s business empire.
In an affidavit opposing the temporary order becoming permanent, Bryan Seaver said text messages Nozell cited as evidence against him were a “private conversation between two friends who were both frustrated, grieving and discussing strategy."
The text messages were sent shortly before and after Parton's August 25 death.
Seaver said he never sent threatening messages to any of Parton’s businesses or business partners or their employees.
The filings represent Seaver’s first public defence of himself since a serious rift opened up in the country music legend’s circle and spilled into public view shortly after her death, with Nozell and Seaver on opposing sides.
Seaver's court filing says Nozell did not react with alarm to his text messages at the time and that he agreed with or reacted positively to some of them.
She's Alive, an entity run by Nozell and founded to manage and protect Parton’s estate, terminated Seaver and SAPS in early September, and the following week petitioned for the restraining order against him, arguing that his“terrorising conduct made their continued retention untenable.”
In granting the temporary restraining order, Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles, cited Seaver's “claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate.”
The two sides will make their cases to Myles at a hearing on October 20.
Emails seeking comment were sent to lawyers for She's Alive and Nozell.
Seaver said he was blindsided by the order, which was granted while he was doing contract security work in Haiti.
Seaver and SAPS must refrain from entering any She’s Alive property or talking with or being within 300m of She’s Alive employees and business partners. The order is also meant to keep Seaver from interfering with its business relationships.
Seaver argued in his response the order is so broad, and Parton's business reach so great, that much of Nashville and even his own relatives are off limits to him.
