Dolly Parton Estate Drops Lawsuit Against Nephew Bryan Seaver: Read His Response
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Less than a month after Dolly Parton died at the age of 80, her estate filed a lawsuit against her nephew, Bryan Seaver. The filing came following the news that Bryan, who had served as Dolly’s head of security for over 20 years, had allegedly been fired from his position.
PEOPLE previously reported that the lawsuit filed against Bryan accused him of making “threats of real-world violence” to members of Dolly’s staff and legal/business advisors. The estate also filed a restraining order against Bryan.
One of the court filings obtained by PEOPLE read:
“Mr. Seaver began his campaign of threats, intimidation, and coercion a few weeks prior to Ms. Parton’s passing…. In writing, he vowed to ‘destroy the entire brand’ and also told her entertainment attorney: “I’m not an entertainment person. I’m a killer.”
Meanwhile, Bryan claimed that his remarks had been taken out of context, telling TMZ:
“I am a security professional and I am a killer…However, nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by.“
Now, a little over a month after the lawsuit against Bryan Seaver was filed, it has been dropped.
PEOPLE reported on November 5 that She’s Alive LLC, the company Dolly established to handle her estate, had “filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of its lawsuit against [Bryan] Seaver in the Chancery Court of Tennessee.”
Bryan’s attorney, Dominic J. Leonardo, responded to the news in a statement to TMZ. He told the outlet Bryan is relieved to put this entire thing in the past, saying:
“Mr. Seaver cares deeply about his Aunt Dolly, her music, her family, and the incredible legacy she left behind. He has made a career out of protecting his aunt while she was alive and remains committed to Dolly and his entire family.”
The statement continued, “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 entirely untouched.”
Who Is Bryan Seaver?
Bryan Seaver is the son of Dolly Parton’s younger sister, Cassie. He served as Dolly’s head of security for more than two decades, following in the footsteps of his father, Larry, who held the role before him.
Bryan was the person who broke the news to the world on August 25 that Dolly had passed away. He appeared in a video posted to Dolly’s official social media pages, saying:
“I am representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean. Sister, sis, Aunt Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next.”
Bryan said that Dolly had asked him “years ago” to announce her passing.
You can revisit that video in the post below.
