Estate Disputes: Dolly Parton's estate seeks to drop lawsuit against nephew

The legal dispute between the estate of country music star Dolly Parton and her nephew, Bryan Seaver, entered a new phase on Thursday. She’s Alive LLC, the company that manages Parton’s estate, asked a court to dismiss its civil claims against Seaver. This move comes weeks after the estate initially accused Seaver of threatening the singer's legacy following her death in August at age 80.

The motion to dismiss was filed without prejudice, a procedural step that allows the case to be refiled if the parties choose. It is not yet clear if the estate intends to pursue the matter again or if the legal fight is effectively over. Attorneys for both She’s Alive and Seaver did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday evening. The initial lawsuit, filed in late September, alleged that Seaver threatened to launch a podcast designed to harm Parton’s brand partnerships.

Seaver, who owns Squadron Augmented Protection Services, disputed these claims in court filings. He stated that the messages were taken out of context and related to a specific business disagreement. According to Seaver, the conflict stems from an unpaid balance of approximately $251,000 owed by the company that operates Parton’s hotel and museum in downtown Nashville. His firm provided security for that venue before being let go in mid-September.

The friction between the two parties escalated in October when the estate accused Seaver of barricading his property with items to avoid receiving service of the lawsuit. Seaver denied this tactic in his filings. Parton died in August from cancer. Her estate had previously sought a restraining order against Seaver as part of its original legal strategy.