Dolly Parton's estate dropped the lawsuit against the country music icon's nephew, Bryan Seaver, on Thursday, Nov. 5.
She's Alive LLC, the company run by Parton's manager, Danny Nozell, to oversee her estate, voluntarily dismissed the suit, which accused Seaver of leading a "campaign of threats" to profit from his aunt's estate, according to a notice filed in a Nashville court and obtained by USA TODAY.
The case was dropped voluntarily without prejudice, allowing her estate to refile if they so choose.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Seaver and Nozell for comment.
The dismissal came weeks after She's Alive LLC, also known as SAL, sued Seaver and was granted a temporary restraining order against him. The late country icon established
the company to protect her professional property and business interests upon her death.
Seaver's legal team asked the court to deny an injunction and dissolve the extension of the temporary restraining order, arguing that its terms interfere with his ability to act as a beneficiary of Parton's estate and negatively affect his familial relationships. His lawyers further argued that the alleged threatening communications cited by Danny Nozell, Parton's longtime manager who was appointed to run SAL, were taken out of context.
Why did Dolly Parton's estate sue Bryan Seaver?
Parton died on Aug. 25 at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer, and her longtime manager, Danny Nozell, has overseen the administration and operations of her estate since. On Sept. 16, Seaver, who served as his aunt's head of security for over 20 years, was notified that he and his services were terminated.
SAL filed the lawsuit, including the request for a temporary restraining order, days later on Sept. 22, accusing 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," the documents, 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."
"I've got offers from everyone. … But everyone is asking to interview me," Seaver allegedly told Nozell. "I just sold 29 million dollars worth of ammo to Haiti. I'm not exactly a media person, Danny. I'm literally an international arms dealer and mercenary. But now I'm the biggest social media post in human history."
Seaver allegedly added, "I am vengeance for my people for the next 50 years. I have no debt. I only own swords and guns. My children have 3 houses to live in forever. My wife owns everything. All I have is animosity and memory."
This behavior allegedly extended to security personnel, many of whom "effectively fled their positions to protect themselves," per the suit, further stating the remaining employees "have stopped going to the office altogether because the workplace no longer feels safe."
"Mr. Seaver's terrorizing conduct did not merely disrupt the business of SAL; it created an acute and continuing security crisis that impaired SAL's ability to operate, communicate, and protect the Professional Property," the complaint said.
The restraining order was granted.
How did Bryan Seaver respond to the lawsuit?
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.”
On Oct. 13, Seaver's lawyers filed an opposition to the suit and temporary restraining order, claiming "an order barring contact with 'legal counsel, financial advisors,' and anyone else who 'has or may have' a relationship with SAL would cut a beneficiary," such as Seaver, "off from the trustees and their lawyers in the middle of an estate administration."
The "9 to 5" singer's sister Freida Parton has also stood by her nephew, who is the son of their younger sister Cassie Parton. In a Sept. 23 Facebook post, she said there "is no feud within our family."
"No one among the Parton/Owens family is fighting over Dolly's estate," Freida Parton added. "We all love Bryan, just as we all love each other."
Another sister, Stella Parton, spoke out as well in a Facebook post on Sept. 24, noting the siblings also lost brother Coy "Denver" Parton less than a month before Dolly Parton's death.
"We are still intact and moving forward because our children and grandchildren look to us for strength and guidance during this difficult time of loss and confusion for them as well," she wrote. "Regardless of what you may have seen on different news outlets, we are all doing what you would be doing under the same circumstances, we are living our lives one day at a time and being grateful for every blessing."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dolly Parton's estate drops lawsuit against singer's nephew after bitter legal battle
