12 Oct DID DOLLY PARTON’S NEPHEW WORK ‘9 TO 5’ TO THREATEN HER ESTATE?
A Tennessee court has granted Dolly Parton’s Estate a temporary restraining order against her nephew, Bryon Seaver, and his private security company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services (SAPS), which handled Dolly’s security, due to threats of violence and interference of the business relationships of Dolly’s estate presently being managed by She’s Alive, LLC (the entity created to manage her estate).
Until October 20th when a hearing will be held to determine if the restraining order should be retained or not, Seaver and SAPS shall not interfere with She’s Alive’s business relationship and must not be within 1000 feet of She’s Alive attorneys, employees or business partners. Originally, the hearing was set for October 7th. However, in an effort to delay a hearing, Seaver put a “No Trespassing” sign in front of his house and put barbed wire across his front door handrails so that he could not be personally served with citation giving Notice of the hearing. Three attempts to serve him were unsuccessful. Some publications have reported Parton’s trust and estate attorneys and She’s Alive employees have quit over the alleged terroristic threats of Seaver.
One of the extortion claims (according to the request for restraining order application) was a text from Seaver that said if he didn’t get paid “I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnership and telling the violations these people have done on us. It’s going to be great”. Another text message from Seaver claimed he sold $27 million dollars in ammunition to Haitian police, “I’m literally an international arms dealer and mercenary”.
Seaver has stated the allegations are untrue, and it is just a publicity stunt. Parton’s family has stated there is no dispute over Dolly’s Estate and they stand by Seaver. Seaver responded that he never threatened anyone and that he was “fired” from being head of security over contrived threats.
Notwithstanding the current legal dispute, Dolly Parton’s estate planning was well-planned as it was important to her. She used trusts to avoid probate, keep her asset information private and to manage her property and assets including everything from “Dollywood” to her name, image and likeness and her music catalog. She’s Alive was created after her death to manage her branding and licensures in addition to her charitable legacy. However, even with her insightful planning, there are often disputes when it comes to money – especially when there is an estate that is large.
It is anticipated that the Seaver matter will soon be resolved and that all members of her family will join the chorus of the world in tribute to Dolly that “We will always love you”.
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