Dolly Parton's estate seeks restraining order against her nephew

Dolly Parton's estate has accused the country music star's nephew of threatening violence and vowing to destroy his aunt's legacy and business empire, according to court filings submitted Tuesday in Nashville.

The filings, which include a request for a temporary restraining order, mark the first sign of discord in an estate process that had otherwise been closely managed for one of music's most widely loved figures.

The request was filed by She's Alive, the entity that manages and protects Parton's professional property and business, and is run by Danny Nozell, the singer's longtime manager. It asks a judge to bar Bryan Seaver from contacting or coming within 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) of She's Alive employees, attorneys and business partners, and from interfering with its business relationships.

Seaver owned a company that provided Parton's security detail and was handpicked by the star to announce her death from cancer last month. He did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

According to the court documents, She's Alive terminated Seaver and Squadron Augmented Protection Services last week, saying his "terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable."

The filings describe a series of text messages and emails attributed to Seaver that began shortly before Parton's death. The messages initially threatened to destroy the brand and, after her death, showed Seaver embracing his newfound fame and describing himself as an "international arms dealer," the documents state.

In one message dated Sept. 1, he wrote that he would set up a podcast devoted to ruining Dolly's brand partnerships and exposing violations committed against him, adding that he would either do that or be paid.

Seaver also claimed to have worked for private military contractors overseas during the Iraq War and used that experience as part of the threats, according to the complaint.

The estate says the messages have driven Parton's trusts and estates attorney to leave and prompted employees of She's Alive to resign. The entity has also had to arrange private security for its employees, including at their homes.

Parton wrote hundreds of songs, among them classics such as "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors" and "I Will Always Love You," which together earned more than 100 million worldwide sales and over 1 billion online streams.