One of Dolly Parton's sisters is addressing the firing and restraining order against her nephew amid speculation of tension within the family.
She's Alive, LLC (SAL), the entity the late country musician designed to protect her legacy after her Aug. 25 death, filed a lawsuit Sept. 22 alleging her nephew, Bryan Seaver, threatened to smear his aunt’s legacy and made violent threats against several employees. The reported lawsuit and temporary restraining order came a day after Seaver received a termination notice from his role as his late aunt's head of security.
In a brief statement shared on Instagram Sept. 23, Parton's younger sister Freida dismissed the idea of a rift within the family and expressed support for Seaver, her nephew.
"Hi I'll say
this and this only: there is no feud within our family. No one among the Parton/Owens family is fighting over Dolly's estate," she wrote. "We all love Bryan, just as we love each other. I love you all!!"
USA TODAY reached out to Seaver through his security company for comment.
Who is Bryan Seaver?
Seaver, who oversaw the "Jolene" singer's security operations for more than 20 years, is the son of the late Larry Seaver, who previously held the position, and Dolly's younger sister Cassie Parton, 75.
In addition to working to protect his aunt, her residences and her professional properties, Seaver is the CEO of Squadron Augmented Protection Services, a Nashville-based company offering executive protection, estate security, business intelligence, K-9 services and event security, according to his LinkedIn page.
What is Bryan Seaver accused of?
In a lawsuit filed in Davidson County Chancery Court on Sept. 22, She's Alive LLC (SAL) alleges that Seaver waged a campaign of threats, harassment and intimidation on Parton's family and those entrusted to protect her brand.
Seaver is accused of threatening to ruin Dolly Parton's brand partnerships unless he was paid through podcast appearances and social media, according to the lawsuit obtained by the Nashville Tennesean, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The lawsuit also claimed Seaver made "threats of real-world violence" towards the singer's staff, partners, and legal and business advisers, allegedly often invoking his background as a military contractor during the Iraq War.
"As the entity entrusted by Ms. Parton to protect and promote her life’s work for future generations, SAL must cultivate a safe work environment for employees, advisors, and partners, free from intimidation or hostility — particularly intimidation by an armed former security contractor," the lawsuit reads. "Without relief, Defendants’ calculated campaign will continue to inflict fear, to destabilize SAL’s operations, and to cause further irreparable harm."
The lawsuit said Seaver allegedly told Danny Nozell, the country music legend's former manager who was selected by Parton to run She's Alive, "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 ... pay me."
What has Bryan Seaver said?
In a statement to TMZ shared Sept. 21, Seaver said he and his teams were "dismayed by the unexpected and, so far, unexplained actions" taken by Nozell and Pinnacle Bank.
"We remain unshakably resolved to fulfill her final directive to protect her family, and we refuse to be intimidated by those whose actions we believe are being taken in bad faith and with the intent to profit from the life of someone who willingly gave so much," the statement reads.
Seaver announced his aunt's death in an Aug. 25 video shared on social media, saying he first followed Dolly Parton on the road when he was a kid in the early 1980s and got a taste of the doors she opened for her family "to reach the potential we didn't even know was possible." In the video, he said that Dolly Parton personally asked him to reveal her death.
"My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you," he said in the video. "She has always been on your television, your record player, your CD, and on your phone playlist, becoming an extended part of your family, whether you liked it or not."
Contributing: Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton's sister Freida defends nephew after firing, restraining order
