LOS ANGELES: Dolly Parton’s nephew has been ordered to stay away from employees and properties of her estate, US media reported, after the manager for the late country music legend alleged an ‘escalating campaign of threats’ to extort money from the vast enterprise.
Chancellor PAshea L. Myles of Nashville Chancery Court issued the temporary restraining order on Wednesday, citing emails and other communications between the pair which involved ‘threats with demands for payment’, Rolling Stone magazine reported.
Parton’s longtime manager Danny Nozell requested the restraining order, accusing the artist’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, of attempting to extort money from the estate, which includes an amusement park, a hotel and a soon-to-be-opened museum.
Myles ordered Seaver to stay at least 1,000 feet (300 metres) from estate employees and business partners, remain off private property owned by the estate, and refrain from disruptive or harassing conduct, Rolling Stone reported, citing the ruling.
Seaver’s statements were significant ‘not merely because of their language in isolation, but also because they were made in conjunction with statements threatening specific individuals and business interests associated with Parton’s professional property and estate’, Myles wrote. Myles has scheduled a hearing for Oct 7.
Seaver, who broke the news of the singer’s death last month in an emotional video, had provided security for Parton for years, but was abruptly fired last week.
That caused Seaver to criticise Nozell, with the outlet quoting Seaver as saying he was ‘dismayed by the unexpected and, so far, unexplained actions’.
Court papers filed on Tuesday allege that Seaver sent threats, including a text message warning he would become ‘the hand of retribution for my entire family’, the New York Times reported.-AFP