Dolly Parton estate files to dismiss lawsuit against her nephew
The company that manages Dolly Parton’s estate, She’s Alive LLC, on Thursday asked a court to dismiss its legal claims against the singer’s nephew.Jim Dyson / GettyShareAdd NBC News to GoogleNov. 5, 2026, 9:37 PM ESTBy Phil Helsel and Joe KottkeThe company that manages Dolly Parton’s estate on Thursday asked a court 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 after a brief battle with 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.
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FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhy plunging tech stocks might be just what the market neededFOR SUBSCRIBERSVoters want the Iran war to end. It’s not that easy.FOR SUBSCRIBERSBird flu didn’t turn into a pandemic, but it never went away, eitherFOR SUBSCRIBERSMany Republicans leaned into the ‘culture wars’ on the campaign trail. It didn’t work.FOR SUBSCRIBERSA district-level look at the huge shifts across the House battlefieldFOR SUBSCRIBERSAnticipation, optimism take hold as Mississippi’s Senate race becomes a nail-biterFOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Everyone was mad’: How anger helped fuel Latino voter turnout and Democratic shift in TexasFOR SUBSCRIBERSDemocrats’ midterm win threatens to disrupt Trump’s fragile truce with XiFOR SUBSCRIBERSScott Colom criticizes Democrats for writing off Mississippi amid close Senate vote countFOR SUBSCRIBERSAre we approaching a new era of Alzheimer’s prevention?FOR SUBSCRIBERSMaps: How the vote shifted from the 2024 presidential election to 2026FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over GOP education agenda fueled blue sweeps in Texas, advocates sayFOR SUBSCRIBERSMicroplastics are altering the color of the ocean, and the changes can be seen from spaceFOR SUBSCRIBERSDemocratic Senate set to thwart Trump’s Supreme Court and judicial appointmentsFOR SUBSCRIBERSHow an unlikely Virginia law could offer a path to justice after a Texas campus sexual assaultSlide 1 of 1In 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.
Phil HelselPhil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.
Joe KottkeJoe Kottke is an assignment editor at NBC News covering breaking news across the Americas, including politics, immigration, crime and severe weather.
