Dolly Parton’s nephew is asking a Nashville judge to dissolve a temporary restraining order against him, arguing that messages flagged by her estate after her August death were not serious threats of violence.
Bryan Seaver, the son of Parton’s sister and her former head of security, filed his first written response Tuesday, according to a court filing obtained by Billboard. He contends that She’s Alive LLC, the entity managing Parton’s posthumous affairs, has mischaracterized a “private, profane and ultimately friendly exchange between two longtime friends” as a claim of terror.
A court hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday, Oct. 20, to decide whether the temporary order issued last month should be extended into a longer-term injunction. The estate must file its written reply by Friday, Oct. 16.
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| Dolly and Seaver |
Seaver’s lawyers, Dominic Leonardo and James Collier, argue that his use of the term “ratf—k,” while vulgar, was business or political slang meaning to undercut or outmaneuver someone, not to cause physical harm. They say an email in which he wrote “I’m a killer” was simply a reference to his military background contrasted with the entertainment industry.
According to the filing, Seaver has been “peaceful” since the estate terminated his security company last month. He says the only real dispute involved a $250,000 debt for prior services, which has now been paid.
“What SAL actually fears is speech: Mr. Seaver’s stated wish to tell his family’s story on a podcast, to go to Billboard Magazine, and to ‘embarrass’ a business partner he believed was mistreating his family,” his lawyers wrote. “Those are not threats of violence. They are expressions protected by the First Amendment.”
They also argue the current order improperly bars Seaver from communicating with his own mother or the trust attorneys handling his inheritance from Parton, and that the judge should end the restraint entirely rather than extend it.