Dolly Parton's nephew scores legal win as her manager drops lawsuit against him

The legal wrangling between the late Dolly Parton's confidants and family members appears to be winding down after her manager, Danny Nozell, dropped a lawsuit against her nephew, Bryan Seaver.

On Thursday, Nozell filed a notice in court of voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit, in which he had accused Seaver, 49, of threatening the business interests of the late music icon's estate in order to extract payments from it, according to documents obtained by Rolling Stone.

According to the publication, Nozell's legal team said in the notice that they were asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning they would still have the option to refile it at a later date.

Nozell and Parton's nephew have been locked in a legal battle since shortly after Parton's death on August 25 at 80 following a brief battle with cancer. 

Parton's manager moved to dismiss his lawsuit as the deadline approached for him to file a response to Seaver, who had denied the allegations against him. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Seaver and Nozell's representatives for comment but has not yet received a response. 

A lawsuit filed against the late Dolly Parton's nephew, Bryan Seaver (R), by her manager, Danny Nozell (not pictured), was voluntarily dismissed on Thursday, according to Rolling Stone (Above, Parton and Seaver in 2017 in NYC)

Nozell's lawsuit had accused Seaver of threatening the business interests of the late music icon's estate in order to extract payments from it, but they asked to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled later (Above, John Sykes, Dolly Parton and Danny Nozell in 2022 in LA)

In a statement to TMZ on Thursday from Seaver's attorney, Dominic J Leonardo, he said: 'Mr. Seaver cares deeply about his Aunt Dolly, her music, her family, and the incredible legacy she left behind. He has made a career out of protecting his aunt while she was alive and remains committed to Dolly and his entire family. 

'Mr. Seaver is grateful to put this misunderstanding behind him so that the entire family can continue to grieve peacefully and ensure that the bright light of Dolly's legacy remains entirely untouched,' Seaver's attorney added.

The next hearing in the case was scheduled for Tuesday, November 10.

So far, neither party's representatives have clarified the reason that Nozell dismissed his lawsuit, and they have also stayed quiet on whether the two parties have reached a settlement. 

Parton's nephew had previously asked the judge to dismiss Nozell's lawsuit against him.

In Seaver's response, he had denied threatening Parton's manager, and he claimed that seemingly threatening text messages he sent were meant to be taken as jokes.

The end of Nozell's lawsuit comes days after Seaver spoke out in defense of his sister, Rebecca Seaver, after her recent firing from Parton's Life of Many Colors Museum.

'I am very proud of my sister Rebecca Seaver and her endeavors building Dolly’s archive and museum,' Seaver said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

Nozell and Parton's nephew have been locked in a legal battle since shortly after Parton's death on August 25 at 80 following a brief battle with cancer (Above, in 2019 in LA)

Seaver had denied threatening Parton's manager, and he claimed that seemingly threatening text messages he sent were meant to be taken as jokes (Source: Dolly Parton's Instagram)

He continued: 'My cousin Danielle Parton is my closest family and my buddy. We are nearest in age and have always been pals.'

Seaver said, 'I have always and will forever sing her praises and support her as she goes about her journey and career.

'Both of these women are dynamos in their fields and there is no feud between us. I love them both with all my heart. '

The Daily Mail previously reached out to representatives for Seaver, Parton's estate and the museum for further comment.

Seaver's post came after sources told TMZ that Parton's estate let Rebecca go from her executive director job at Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum, which is located at her Nashville-based SongTeller Hotel.

In addition to Rebecca, the staffers she led were also terminated from their jobs at the museum, sources told the outlet.

The museum initially opened on September 29 inside the hotel, according to the outlet, as Rebecca had worked on the showcase with Parton's sister Rachel Parton George.

Seaver had been let go from his position in September as the security chief for Parton's properties and businesses.

The end of Nozell's lawsuit comes days after Seaver spoke out in defense of his sister, Rebecca Seaver (R), after her recent firing from Parton's Life of Many Colors Museum (Above, with Jada Star (L) on October 21 in Nashville, Tennessee) 

This led to a legal situation, as Parton's estate manager Danny Nozell accused Seaver of making threatening overtures to him, which he denied.

The communications have surfaced amid Seaver's ongoing legal proceedings over a temporary restraining order the late star's estate had granted against him.

Seaver said last month in a court filing that text messages dubbed threatening had been taken out of context, amid a dispute over a Nashville property linked to the late music icon's estate.

Seaver said that he was communicating with Nozell, his longtime friend and Parton's manager, in a private setting in text messages, according to a court filing reviewed by Page Six on October 13.

In reference to past messages in which he spoke about his experience in the military and with weapons, Seaver said in the court filing that Nozell had previously suggested he publicize his work in dealing arms.

Seaver said in the court filing that when he vowed to 'destroy Dolly's brand partnerships,' he was speaking about business maneuvers and not actual acts of violence. 

In the court filing, Seaver admitted to cursing in the messages, which had been sent around the time Parton had died on August 25.

Seaver said in the court filing that part of the conflict centered around an outstanding $251,000 payment that has since been settled to his company Squadron Augmented Protection Services, over services that were provided at properties the late entertainment icon owned.

Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum at her Nashville-based SongTeller Hotel opened in September 

Parton, pictured in 2014 in Melbourne, Australia, died August 25 at the age of 80 after a brief and secret cancer battle

In the court filing, Seaver said he was upset about numerous problems linked to the SongTeller Hotel in Nashville, ranging from safety infractions to delayed construction to guards he accused of sleeping and using marijuana while working.

Seaver said in the court filing that Parton had been supportive of his 'pressing' of Herschend Family Entertainment, the operators of the SongTeller Hotel and Dollywood, over the aforementioned problems.

Seaver added in the court filing a letter Parton penned on November 11, 2024, calling his organization 'very professional, very discreet, and very good at what they do,' according to the outlet. Parton, in the letter included in the filing, said that Seaver had long led her security team, and wanted him to meet with the managers of the establishments prior to committing to a security firm.

Seaver said in the court filing that he and Nozell had sent one another friendlier texts after the ones previously called threatening in legal docs in the case.

Nozell and Seaver, who announced Parton's passing in a clip in August, had talked about the possibility of Seaver appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience for an interview, Seaver said in his legal filing.

Seaver denied accusations that his correspondence had led to an estate attorney quitting their position with the trust in his filing.

He claimed that Nozell on September 10 had informed him that two estate attorneys had left their positions, as the bank had been 'taking everything over.'

The latest news on the filing comes as She's Alive LLC, which Nozell is in charge of, accused Seaver of making threats involving violence and business sabotage, leading them to seek the restraining order claiming his actions had negatively impacted the business and people involved.

Parton and Danny Nozell seen at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in LA in 2022 

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Seaver said in the court filing that the terms of the restraining order have too far a reach, in some cases barring him from being within 1,000 feet of family members who work with She's Alive.

He told the court in his filing that the ongoing business dispute has attracted unwanted attention from reporters who have shown up at his home and initiated contact with his relatives, including the 96-year-old grandmother of his wife.

At one point, Seaver claimed in his filing that his son, 17, had put barbed wire near the entrance to the family home to ward off unwanted visitors, according to the outlet.

Seaver said in the court filing that a magnetized camera was recovered from the area near his home, but it was unclear where it came from.