Dolly Parton estate files to dismiss lawsuit against her nephew

The company that manages Dolly Parton’s estate asked a court Thursday to dismiss its legal claims against the singer’s nephew, weeks after it accused him of threatening the icon’s legacy. She’s Alive LLC, which manages Parton’s estate, in September filed a lawsuit and sought a restraining order against Bryan Seaver, Parton’s nephew and owner of a company that provided the security detail for the singer. On Thursday, She’s Alive filed a motion to dismiss the civil claims against Seaver in a brief one-paragraph notice. The request was to dismiss the case without prejudice, which means it could be refiled. It was not immediately clear whether that would be pursued or if the matter was being dropped. Attorneys for She’s Alive and Seaver did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday evening. Parton, the beloved country music icon, died in August at 80. She had cancer. In late September, She’s Alive filed a lawsuit alleging that Seaver had, among other things, threatened to “set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships.” She’s Alive had fired Seaver and his company in mid-September, it said in the suit. The estate manager sought a restraining order against Seaver. In October, the estate accused Seaver of using items to barricade his property in an attempt to avoid being served with a lawsuit. Seaver in a court filing denied accusations that he had threatened the estate, telling the court the messages were taken out of context and were about a specific business dispute. According to Seaver, the situation stemmed from a dispute between his security company and the company that operates Parton’s hotel and museum in downtown Nashville. Seaver’s company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, provided security for the hotel and was owed approximately $251,000 for services rendered, an affidavit filed by Seaver said.