Dolly Parton’s manager is now seeking a restraining order against her nephew Bryan Seaver, after he was fired from his longtime post as head of security.
The late singer’s manager of over 20 years, Donny Nozell, claims in a new lawsuit that Seaver — who announced Parton’s death in August — is trying to extort him for money and has been threatening him, TMZ reportedTuesday.
Nozell is seeking a temporary restraining order against Seaver, which would ban him from coming within 1,000 feet of Parton’s offices in Nashville, Tennessee, and from interfering with her business.
According to the docs obtained by the outlet, Nozell accuses Seaver of “invoking his self-proclaimed military-contractor experience, access to weapons, and capacity for violence” to demand money, and alleges he started threatening him a few weeks before the singer died.
Seaver allegedly threatened, “All I do is warfare … everyone needs to be worried about what I might do.”
Another one of his alleged messages reads, “Her money better be bigger than I can make elsewhere or I’m going to f–k everyone. I am about to become the hand of retribution for my entire family.”
In a statement to the outlet, Seaver said the messages were taken out of context.
“Nothing in this lawsuit were threats and most of the comments I stand by,” he shared.
“I was talking frankly in a private way with Danny who I thought was my friend and he fancies himself a gangster,” he also said in part. “A lot of these messages are two guys having rage talk and crying on the phone together while we were grieving.”
On Monday, Seaver fired back against Nozellafter he was fired, claiming it was “unexpected” and “unexplained.”
“We refuse to be intimidated by those whose actions we believe are being taken in bad faith and with the intent to profit from the life of someone who willingly gave so much,” he and his team said in a statement to TMZ.
Seaver and his team also said while they’ve been comforted by the worldwide support for Parton’s legacy, they “remain unshakably resolved to fulfill her final directive to protect her family.”
The outlet reported earlier that Seaver received a notice informing him that he and his security companies were immediately dismissed from all of Parton’s properties,
However, the termination letter doesn’t eradicate Seaver’s personal interest in Parton’s trust, which covers her business interests and properties, per TMZ.
The country music icon — who died at 80 after a secret battle with cancer— left behind a massive $450 million empire.
How that fortune will be divided, and who ultimately controls the pieces of Parton’s empire, could remain private for some time.
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