Bryan Seaver, the nephew of Dolly Parton, is responding to the allegations by the late singer's estate that he threatened her manager.
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Dolly Parton Called Bryan Seaver Her "Killer"
Last week, Seaver, son of Parton's sister Cassie, was fired as head of the "Jolene" singer's security team. He served more than two decades in the role. Seaver was told that he and his security companies had been "immediately dismissed" from her properties.
If you recall, Seaver was personally selected by Parton to announce the death of his aunt on Aug. 25.
Then Parton's manager, Danny Nozell, filed a restraining order against Seaver. He alleges that Seaver sent several threatening texts. Nozell also accused him of "invoking his self-proclaimed military contractor experience, access to weapons, and capacity for violence... to demand money." Nozell said the threats started "a few weeks before the singer died."
PEOPLE reports that Seaver believes the order is "spurious and simply a publicity stunt."
"Dolly called me her killer. It was a joke we used around her camp," he 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."
Seaver Stands By the Remarks
Seaver says he stands by the comments he made to Nozell, but adds that he "never threatened anyone."
"I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny, who I thought was my friend," said Seaver in a statement. "A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving."
Court filings state that Parton's estate considered Seaver's behavior "threatening, destabilizing, and incompatible with any safe working environment." Many employees, including Parton's trust and estates attorney, quit because of his alleged conduct.
"Every day without relief gives Mr. Seaver another opportunity to frighten away a trusted employee, counsel, license, brand partner, or other essential counterparty," a memorandum reads.
Seaver also allegedly threatened to start a podcast dedicated to "ruining Dolly's brand partnerships."
