After acquiring a restraining order against Dolly Parton's nephew Bryan Seaver, her company is leveling allegations that he implemented evasive measures to avoid being served legal documents in the case.
Lawyers for She's Alive, LLC. – also known as SAL, which Parton established to protect her professional property and business interests upon her death – submitted court filings on Oct. 5 pushing back against Seaver's request to delay the next court hearing so he would have time to meet with his new legal counsel.
One of the reasons, they allege, was that on three occasions he "attempted to evade service of process, and this Court should not reward that behavior."
On Oct. 6, Davidson County Chancellor I'Ashea Myles agreed to reschedule the hearing
for temporary injunctive relief to the morning of Oct. 20. The temporary restraining order against Seaver is also extended to this date.
USA TODAY has reached out to Seaver's attorney for comment.
On Sept. 22, SAL sued Seaver and his security company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, and also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order, alleging he threatened to smear his aunt's legacy and made violent threats against several employees.
Seaver, who served as his aunt's head of security for over 20 years, was the person whom the late country music icon entrusted with announcing her death to the world on Aug. 25. The "Queen of Country" died at 80 after battling cancer.
Bryan Seaver accused of blocking his door with barbed wire
Among SAL's Oct. 5 filings is an affidavit from a process server alleging that around 4:35 p.m. on Sept. 24, they attempted to hand over legal filings related to the restraining order. No one answered the door that day or on Sept. 25, according to the document.
Upon returning the evening of Saturday, Sept. 26, the server wrote, "there were now 'no trespassing' signs on the lawn and by the front door." They were allegedly unable to access the front door due to yellow caution tape and barbed wire "surrounding the front steps."
One of the photos included in the filings shows barbed wire zig-zagging over the front steps leading to a home. Five pieces of caution tape are tied around the wires.
Why is Dolly Parton's estate suing Bryan Seaver?
Since Parton's death, her longtime manager, Danny Nozell, has overseen the administration and operations of her estate. On Sept. 16, Seaver was notified that he and his services were terminated.
SAL filed the lawsuit, as well as the request for a temporary restraining order, days later on Sept. 22. The filings accused Seaver of threatening to smear Parton's legacy and making threats "of real-world violence" against several employees.
"Mr. Seaver began his campaign of threats, intimidation, and coercion a few weeks prior to Ms. Parton's passing," one of the filings, obtained by USA TODAY, alleged. "In writing, he vowed to 'destroy the entire brand' and also told her entertainment attorney: 'I'm not an entertainment person. I'm a killer.'"
The suit described the alleged threats, many of which were made in conversations with Nozell, as "chilling" and meant "to cause fear and chaos to extort money for his personal gain."
Dolly Parton's nephew denies threatening 'anyone'
A temporary restraining order was granted. Seaver later denied all allegations in a Sept. 23 statement to ABC News, calling the order "spurious and simply a publicity stunt."
"Dolly called me her killer. It was a joke we used around her camp," Seaver said. "I was her 'baby boy ninja' and Danny Nozell took that text out of context to somehow imagine that I was threatening him. He's always called me The Killer.
"I've never threatened anyone," he continued. "They are my friends and my brothers and colleagues."
In another statement to TMZ, Seaver said, "I am a security professional and I am a killer. However, nothing in his lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by. I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny, who I thought was my friend. … A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving.”
The "9 to 5" singer's sister, Freida Parton, has also stood by Seaver, who is the son of their younger sister, Cassie Parton. In a Sept. 23 Facebook post, Freida Parton wrote that there "is no feud within our family."
"No one among the Parton/Owens family is fighting over Dolly's estate," she added. "We all love Bryan, just as we all love each other."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton's nephew accused of using barbed wire to avoid being served
