Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver allegedly turned his front porch into a no-go zone while facing a lawsuit from her estate. The unusual barricade reportedly included yellow caution tape, barbed wire, and a no-trespassing sign.
The estate claimed a process server made three attempts to serve Seaver with legal papers. Lawyers now want the court to reject his request for more time to hire an attorney.
Dolly Parton’s estate says Bryan Seaver used a barricade to avoid being served
Rolling Stone reported that lawyers for She’s Alive LLC accused Seaver of evading service. The company was established to manage Parton’s business interests after her Aug. 25 death. Its lawyers wrote, “Mr. Seaver attempted to evade service of process, and this court should not reward that behavior.”
During one attempt, the process server reportedly spotted four cars outside Seaver’s home. Nobody answered the door. A later visit allegedly found barbed wire across the porch railings, along with yellow caution tape and pumpkins. A photo filed with the court appeared to show the setup. Seaver did not respond to a request for comment about whether the barricade doubled as Halloween decor.
The legal dispute had already become complicated. Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager and She’s Alive’s sole manager, accused Seaver of using “threats, intimidation, and coercion.” A judge then issued a temporary restraining order requiring Seaver to stay 1,000 feet from estate employees and business partners.
Seaver had worked as Parton’s security chief through Squadron Augmented Protection Services. He also announced Parton’s death in a video posted to her Instagram account. She’s Alive removed him from his security role on Sept. 15, though that did not affect his status as a trust beneficiary. The estate also cited messages in which Seaver allegedly threatened business partners and demanded payment. One message read, “I’m going to destroy the entire brand if you don’t get these [Dollywood business partners] out of our bit.”
Seaver denied that his messages constituted threats. In a statement to TMZ, he said, “I am a career soldier and military contractor and do conduct arms deals for foreign governments.” He added, “However, nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by.” The court has a hearing scheduled for Oct. 9, while Seaver seeks additional time to secure representation.
