The company managing Dolly Parton’s estate has asked a court to dismiss its lawsuit against the late singer’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, weeks after accusing him of making threats against her legacy. The request was submitted Thursday in a notice that ran to a single paragraph.
She’s Alive LLC requested dismissal without prejudice, meaning the claims could be filed again. The filing did not make clear whether the company intended to pursue the case at another time or abandon the matter. Attorneys representing She’s Alive and Seaver did not immediately answer requests for comment Thursday evening.
The legal dispute began in September, when She’s Alive sued Seaver and sought a restraining order against him. Seaver owned a company that supplied Parton’s security detail. According to the lawsuit, the estate management company had fired both Seaver and his business in the middle of that month, before bringing the claims against him.
In its late September lawsuit, She’s Alive alleged that Seaver had threatened to create a podcast aimed at damaging Parton’s brand partnerships. That allegation was among the claims the company raised as it pursued legal action against the singer’s nephew and requested a restraining order.
The conflict continued into October, when the estate accused Seaver of placing items around his property to barricade it and avoid being served with the lawsuit. That accusation followed the September filing and preceded Thursday’s request to dismiss the civil claims against him.
Seaver disputed the allegations that he had threatened the estate. In a court filing, he said the messages cited against him had been removed from their context and concerned a particular business disagreement. His account linked the conflict to security work performed by his company.
According to Seaver, the disagreement involved his security business and the company operating Parton’s hotel and museum in downtown Nashville. In an affidavit, he said his firm, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, had provided security at the hotel and was owed approximately $251,000 for services it had already delivered.
Parton, the country music star, died in August at age 80 and had cancer. The lawsuit concerning her nephew was filed the following month by the company responsible for managing her estate.
