Ready to defend his name.
Bryan Seaver, the nephew of Dolly Parton, has filed his answer to a complaint filed against him by the estate of his late aunt.
The answer comes after a Nashville judge entered a temporary restraining order against Seaver, who previously served as Dolly’s head of security before being fired by her estate shortly after the country legend passed away.
The restraining order was requested by She’s Alive, LLC, the company overseeing the estate of Dolly Parton, after what her longtime manager Danny Nozell called a “campaign of threats” and intimidation by Seaver against the estate:
“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.’”
In text messages filed with the lawsuit, Seaver claimed that the “Dollywood brand is dying” while threatening to take his story to Billboard Magazine:
“I’m going to spend the next time I have on earth ratf**king anyone that has ever betrayed my family.”
And he also threatened to go public in another text message while referencing money that was owed to his security company:
“I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships and telling the violations these people have done on us. It’s going to be great. Or f**king pay me.”
Seaver, meanwhile, has claimed that his messages to Nozell were simply venting to a friend, while expressing their shared frustration with Dollywood operator Herschend Family Entertainment, which also operates Dolly’s new Songteller Hotel in Nashville.
A hearing is scheduled for November 13 in the case, but in the meantime a judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing Seaver and his security company from going within 1,000 feet of any employees of Dolly’s companies or otherwise entering their property, while also ordering him not to make any statements that interfere with the estate’s business relationships.
In his formal answer to the complaint though, which was obtained and reviewed by Whiskey Riff, Seaver calls the restraining order a violation of his First Amendment rights while denying making any threats.
Seaver denies that any of comments were threatening, alleging that his messages to Nozell were taken out of context. And he also alleges that the estate’s complaint fails to state a legal claim because the estate hasn’t suffered any damages or loss of business relationship because of Seaver. He also points out that his communications were made with Nozell and not any outside business partner, and therefore couldn’t have interfered with any of the estate’s business relationships.
In addition, Seaver also claims that the restraining order preventing him from speaking out on his aunt’s estate is a violation of his right to free speech:
“The communications on which SAL relies, and the podcast, media, and other public statements SAL seeks to enjoin, are protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and by Article I, Section 19 of the Tennessee Constitution. None was a “true threat.””
And he claims that not only is he protected by the US Constitution, but Tennessee state law also protects his right to speak out:
“This action is based on, relates to, or is in response to Defendants’ exercise of the right of free speech on matters of public concern, including matters relating to a public figure and to musical and audiovisual works, within the meaning of the Tennessee Public Participation Act.”
Seaver demands a jury trial on the lawsuit, while also asking the court to dismiss the restraining order and award him attorneys fees and any unspecified damages he and his company have incurred as a result of the litigation.
As far as what comes next, the estate has a deadline of Wednesday, November 4 to file a response to Seaver’s previous filing, with the judge to hear arguments on November 10 as to whether or not the restraining order should remain in effect.
