Dolly Parton's estate granted temporary restraining order against her nephew
The estate of Dolly Parton has been granted a temporary restraining order against her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who previously served as the singer's longtime head of security, and his security company.
A Tennessee judge found Wednesday that for purposes of a temporary restraining order, alleged conduct by Seaver and his company shows a "present and continuing disruption and threat" to She's Alive, the company overseeing the business empire left by Parton, who died on Aug. 25 after a brief battle with cancer.
She's Alive accused Seaver of “an obscene, deliberate and escalating campaign of threats” against Parton's estate, according to a request for a temporary restraining order filed Tuesday in Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville.
The document also alleges Seaver threatened attorneys, business partners and employees and at one point allegedly warned he could "destroy the entire brand" unless he was paid.
Seaver is also alleged to have told a member of Parton's legal team, "I'm not an entertainment person. I'm a killer," according to the court document.
The order issued Wednesday requires, among other things, that Seaver and his security company stay at least 1,000 feet away from any person or entity that may have a business relationship with She's Alive.
A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
Seaver, the son of one of Parton's 11 siblings, was the family member who officially announced Parton's death in a video message shared on her social media.
In a statement to ABC News on Wednesday, Seaver denied the allegations in the court filing, saying that his late aunt jokingly called him "her killer."
"Dolly called me her killer. It was a joke we used around her camp," Seaver said. "I was her 'baby boy ninja' and Danny Nozell took that text out of context to somehow imagine that I was threatening him. He’s always called me The Killer."
He added, "I've never threatened anyone ... They are my friends and my brothers and colleagues."
Nozell, Parton's longtime manager who oversees She's Alive, had no comment Thursday when reached by ABC News.
Seaver did not immediately reply to a request for comment Thursday on the order being granted.
He previously said that he was fired as Parton's head of security last week over what he calls "contrived threats."
"I was fired. After the estate negotiated with me and my company for services in perpetuity and agreed to that service provision from my company," Seaver told ABC News Wednesday. "A week later they fired me for these contrived 'threats.'"
Parton, who became known for her entrepreneurial skills in addition to her music prowess, left behind a multimillion dollar estate, including the Dollywood amusement park. She and her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, who died last year, had no children.
