A legal fight over Dolly Parton’s posthumous business empire just got personal. Bryan Seaver, Parton’s nephew and former head of security, has filed an affidavit denying that he threatened Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager, or anyone tied to She’s Alive, LLC, the corporation overseeing her estate. The company’s complaint points to messages including“I’m not an entertainment person. I’m a killer,”which Seaver says were private exchanges taken out of context during a period of grief and frustration.
Seaver does admit his language was sometimes crude and profane, but he draws a hard line at the idea that he threatened physical harm. He also denies intimidating staff at the SongTeller Hotel in Nashville and wants a judge to dissolve the temporary restraining order that bars him from coming within 1,000 feet of anyone connected to She’s Alive. According to Seaver, the order makes it nearly impossible for him to move around Nashville, a city where everyone in this orbit overlaps.
A follow-up hearing on the restraining order is scheduled for Oct. 20, so this story is far from over. It also raises a big question about how a superstar’s legacy gets managed once they’re gone, and who gets a seat at that table. Do you think private conversations between grieving friends should hold up in court? Sound off in the comments.
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Local Lawton
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