Dolly Parton's nephew is asking for a judge to postpone a hearing this week so he can have adequate time to prepare with an attorney.
Bryan Seaver and his security company are at the center of a temporary restaining order and a lawsuit filed by Parton's longtime manager, Danny Nozell. She's Alive LLC, a company created to assist in overseeing Parton's professional property trust, sued Seaver and his security company Sept. 22 accusing Seaver of threatening those managing her business assets in an attempt to get money.
Davidson County Chancellor I'Ashea Myles granted She's Alive a restraining order Sept. 23.
Seaver, in a motion filed Oct. 2, said within 48 hours of being served the restraining order he began his search for an attorney.
"The preferred
attorney for which representation is sought is not available to meet with Defendants until October 5, 2026," Seaver's motion stated.
Seaver lacks the legal knowledge to argue against the restraining order by himself, the motion said. He also said he's not opposed to the restraining order remaining in place if Myles should set a new date for the hearing.
Currently, the hearing is scheduled for Oct. 9.
What the lawsuit says about Seaver
Nozell's lawsuit said Seaver is carrying out a campaign of threats, harassment and intimidation against Parton's staff, partners and legal advisors.
"Mr. Seaver has been relentless," the lawsuit stated. "He has individually, and through his associates, made repeated, written threats to Ms. Parton's staff, partners, legal and business advisors, and others. These were not ordinary workplace disputes or heated words; they were deliberate threats from a self-proclaimed heavily armed, former security operative with a military-contractor background. Many of these people are now afraid to come to work or have resigned entirely because they do not feel safe."
Seaver's company was tapped to provide security services for Parton.
The lawsuit attached several text messages attributed to Seaver.
In those messages, Seaver noted his newfound fame after he was tapped to announce his aunt's death on social media.
"I just sold 29 million dollars worth of ammo to Haiti. I'm not exactly a media person, Danny," the message said. "I'm literally an international arms dealer and mercenary. But now I'm the face of the biggest social media post in human history."
Seaver threatened to ruin Parton's brand partnerships if he didn't get paid.
She's Alive LLC fired Seaver and his security company Sept. 16, and instead hired private security for its personnel.
Seaver, who did not respond to requests for comment from The Tennessean, told TMZ "nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by." He said that the messages were taken out of context to make it look like he was threatening people, the outlet reported. He also told TMZ he was "talking frankly in a private way" with Nozell, "who I thought was my friend and he fancies himself a gangster." Seaver said to TMZ, "A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving."
What the restraining order says
It didn't take long for Myles to issue the restraining order.
Myles ordered Seaver to stay 1,000 feet away from anyone working for She's Alive or anyone who may have a business relationship with She's Alive. Seaver also cannot communicate with people associated with She's Alive and cannot interfere with its business relationships.
Myles said that Seaver's purported text messages "reflect more than isolated intemperate or offensive statements."
Rather, the filings "demonstrate a repeated course of conduct in which Mr. Seaver: (1) identified particular individuals, business relationships, and professional interests associated with Ms. Parton as targets; (2) threatened reputational and commercial harm to those interests; (3) coupled those threats with demands for payment or other action; and (4) repeatedly invoked his claimed access to weapons, experience with violence, and intention to retaliate," Myles wrote.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dolly Parton's nephew asks for more time before hearing this week
