The estate of country music icon Dolly Parton has filed to dismiss its lawsuit against her nephew and former head of security, Bryan Seaver, CBS News reported.
The suit had accused Seaver of threatening violence and threatening to destroy Parton’s brand. Seaver denied every allegation.
“Mr. Seaver is grateful to put this misunderstanding behind him so that the entire family can continue to grieve peacefully and ensure that the bright light of Dolly’s legacy remains completely untouched,” his attorneys said in a statement to CBS News. Attorneys for the estate did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment.
Parton died of cancer in August at age 80. Seaver, who leads the security firm Squadron Augmented Protection Services, announced her death in a prerecorded video.
In September, Seaver and his firm were fired by She’s Alive, the company that manages Parton’s estate and business interests. Parton’s longtime manager Danny Nozell, who runs She’s Alive, then sought a restraining order, alleging Seaver made repeated written threats to staff and business partners, including over a disagreement involving Dollywood.
In a court response, Seaver admitted to using coarse and blunt language but said the texts were private messages between two grieving friends and were not threats. He said he was warning Nozell that certain associates were harming Parton’s brand.
The estate has not publicly explained its decision to drop the case.
Sources: CBS News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Roc0ast3r / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
