57 minutes ago
3
Dolly Parton's nephew and longtime caput of information said successful a Tennessee tribunal filing Tuesday that helium was a adjacent person and state of Parton's longtime manager Danny Nozell earlier Nozell took retired a restraining order accusing him of threatening to bash unit and destruct Parton's legacy and concern empire.
In an affidavit opposing the impermanent bid becoming permanent, Bryan Seaver said substance messages Nozell cited arsenic grounds against him were a "private speech betwixt 2 friends who were some frustrated, grieving and discussing strategy." The substance messages were sent soon earlier and aft Parton's Aug. 25 death.
Seaver said helium ne'er sent threatening messages to immoderate of Parton's businesses oregon concern partners oregon their employees.
A Tennessee justice past period granted the impermanent restraining bid filed by She's Alive — an entity tally by Nozell and founded to negociate Parton's property — against Seaver and his backstage information steadfast Squadron Augmented Protection Services.
As portion of the order, Seaver and SAPS indispensable refrain from talking with oregon being wrong 1,000 feet of She's Alive employees, attorneys and concern partners. The bid is besides meant to support Seaver from interfering with its concern relationships.
Tuesday's filings correspond Seaver's archetypal nationalist defence of himself since a superior rift opened up successful the state euphony legend's ellipse and spilled into nationalist presumption soon aft her death.
Seaver's tribunal filing says Nozell did not respond with alarm to his substance messages astatine the clip and that helium agreed with oregon reacted positively to immoderate of them. Seaver says Nozell encouraged him to publically tout the subject and arms facet of SAPS arsenic a astute business-promotion move, past turned astir and utilized them arsenic grounds of Seaver's capableness for unsafe violence.
She's Alive terminated Seaver and SAPS successful aboriginal September, and the pursuing week petitioned for the restraining bid against him, arguing that his "terrorizing behaviour made their continued retention untenable."
In granting the impermanent restraining order, Chancellor I'Ashea L. Myles cited Seaver's "claimed entree to weapons, acquisition with violence, and volition to retaliate."
The 2 sides volition marque their cases to Myles astatine a proceeding connected Oct. 20. Emails seeking remark were sent to lawyers for She's Alive and Nozell.
The ailment filed past period alleged that Seaver and his institution utilized "terroristic threats, harassment, and intimidation" against She's Alive.
"Those means are particularly improper due to the fact that they person been deployed arsenic portion of a calculated run by a trained military/private-security operative with entree to an arsenal of military-grade weaponry, alternatively than done immoderate morganatic commercialized oregon ineligible process," the ailment read.
Seaver said helium was blindsided by the order, which was granted portion helium was doing declaration information enactment successful Haiti.
In 1 connection written Sept. 1 that was cited by She's Alive, Seaver said: "I'm going to acceptable up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly's marque partnerships and telling the violations these radical person done connected us. It's going to beryllium great. Or f****** wage me."
It besides accused Seaver of being "emboldened" and "relentless" successful his threats against She's Alive since Parton's death.
"He has individually, and done his associates, made repeated written threats to Ms. Parton's staff, ineligible and concern advisers, and others," the ailment read. "These were not mean workplace disputes oregon heated words; they were deliberate threats from a self-proclaimed heavy armed, erstwhile information operative with a military-contractor background."
In different substance message, Seaver alleged that helium "just sold 29 cardinal dollars worthy of ammo to Haiti."
Seaver argued successful his effect Tuesday that the bid is truthful broad, and Parton's concern scope truthful great, that overmuch of Nashville and adjacent his ain relatives are off-limits to him.
Seaver said his choler and the request were lone implicit much than $250,000 that his institution was owed for completed enactment by Herschend Family Entertainment, which operates Parton's amusement parkland Dollywood and her Songteller Hotel, which opened aft her death.
Seaver acknowledged being overly crude and profane successful his messages to Nozell. He said allegations that helium had "menaced and intimidated" HFE employees were simply false. He said successful his filing though that helium had "never threatened carnal harm" to Nozell oregon immoderate She's Alive employee.
He included arsenic an grounds a 2024 missive from Parton praising him and his company. Parton had handpicked Seaver to denote her decease erstwhile she succumbed to cancer.
"I person declined to talk with the media astir this lawsuit and person asked my attorneys to grip each media communications," Seaver wrote successful his affidavit. "I attraction astir Ms. Parton, her music, her legacy, and her family. I bash not privation this quality to harm her legacy."
In a prerecorded video announcing Parton's decease past month, Seaver said that his video was "something Dolly asked of maine years ago, earlier I afloat absorbed it arsenic a aboriginal reality."
He described it arsenic "an grant that is mixed with implicit pridefulness and large sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived successful the airy and is successful the arms of Jesus."
Parton was a wide beloved state euphony giant, philanthropist and taste icon who wrote hundreds of songs, including classics specified arsenic "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors" and "I Will Always Love You." Her euphony earned a full of much than 100 cardinal worldwide income and much than 1 cardinal online streams.
In:
Nation celebrates archetypal "Dolly Parton Day" pursuing state singer's death
(01:49)
English (US) ·