Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver seeks delay in estate’s restraining order hearing

Dolly Parton’s longtime manager accused Bryan Seaver of threats and alleged attempts to extort money following the singer’s death.
Bryan Seaver asks Tennessee judge for more time to secure legal counsel before proceeding with the restraining order hearing (Screengrab/@dollyparton/ Instagram, Getty Images)
Bryan Seaver asks Tennessee judge for more time to secure legal counsel before proceeding with the restraining order hearing (Screengrab/@dollyparton/ Instagram, Getty Images)

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver is asking a Tennessee judge to delay an October 9 hearing over a restraining order filed against him by Parton’s longtime manager and estate. Seaver said he needs time to obtain legal counsel and would not object to the restraining order.

FILE - Dolly Parton poses for a photo at her office in Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 11, 2005. (AP Photo/John Russell, File)
Dolly Parton poses for a photo at her office in Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 11, 2005. (AP Photo/John Russell, File)

Bryan Seaver asks judge to delay restraining order hearing

According to documents filed Friday and obtained by the Associated Press, Seaver requested that the October 9 hearing be pushed back by around 10 days. Parton’s former security chief was fired in September following her August 25 death.

Seaver said in the motion that he lacks “any legal knowledge or skills to proceed in this matter without retained counsel or what, if any, challenges can or should be raised.” He also said a lawyer he hopes to retain cannot meet with him until October 5.

Seaver also mentioned that he would not object to extending the restraining order. However, the judge had not yet responded as of Friday.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MAY 19: (L-R) Rebecca Seaver and Dolly Parton attend the opening of Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum's new exhibit 'Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker' at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on May 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Rebecca Seaver and Dolly Parton attend the opening of Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum's new exhibit 'Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker' at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on May 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Parton’s longtime manager, Danny Nozell, filed a restraining order against Seaver last month, alleging he had been threatening him and attempting to extort him for money. Nozell alleged that Seaver had “invok[ed] his self-proclaimed military-contractor experience, access to weapons, and capacity for violence.”

She’s Alive, LLC, filed a lawsuit alleging Seaver had sent threatening texts to employees, calling himself an “international arms dealer and mercenary” and allegedly declaring himself “a killer.” The company alleged Seaver said, “Everyone needs to be worried about what I might do,” and claimed he promised to “destroy the entire brand.”

Flowers and signs are left outside Dolly Parton's office on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Flowers and signs are left outside Dolly Parton's office on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Bryan Seaver said he was ‘dismayed’ over the allegations

Seaver spoke to TMZ, describing himself as “dismayed” and insisting there had been “unexpected and, so far, unexplained actions” since Parton’s death at age 80. He said “nothing” in the lawsuit qualified as “threats,” adding, “Most of the comments I stand by.”

He continued, “I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny, who I thought was my friend and he fancies himself a gangster.”

According to a resurfaced police report from 2000 obtained by The Sun, Seaver was arrested for assault following an alleged incident at Banana Joe’s bar in Nashville on October 6, 2000. An alleged victim told authorities Seaver unsuccessfully attempted to “take a swing at him” after being informed he could be thrown out.

The case was ultimately dismissed, as per The Sun. Seaver announced Parton’s death in an emotional Instagram video on August 25, saying he had “imagined the heaviness” but had not “truly felt it until now.” He said he had been Parton’s head of security “for more than two decades,” adding that his father held the role before him.

Seaver called it “an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” adding, “But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.” He said Parton had asked him years earlier to make the announcement and recalled his family’s “lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly,” adding that her fans had shared them too.

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