TMZ has released court documents filed by Dolly's representative, Danny Nozell, stating that Bryan began to "invoke his military experience, access to weapons, and capacity for violence" to extort him and force him to comply with his money demands.
The manager claims that Dolly's nephew initiated a campaign of threats, intimidation, and coercion weeks before the singer's death, as her end was already anticipated.
One of the messages provided quotes Bryan telling the manager: "I better make money or I'll screw everyone. I'm going to become the right hand of my entire family." In another message, he stated: "I'm going to create a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly's brand." Seaver also allegedly wrote, "I'm not a showbiz person. I'm a killer."
Dolly's manager fired Bryan on September 15. His aim with the lawsuit is to prevent him from interfering in Dolly's business and to leave her business partners alone. Until then, he worked as her aunt's head of security.
Bryan stated in court that the messages he sent to Dolly's manager were taken out of context. "I was speaking frankly and privately with Danny, whom I considered my friend, but he thinks he's a gangster," he said. "Many of these messages are two guys venting and crying together on the phone while we were grieving."
Regarding a message where he called him a "piece of crap rat", Bryan explained: "I was referring to people who have harmed Dolly in business; a specific company that scared and intimidated her."
Dolly passed away on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. It was her nephew Bryan who exclusively announced it through his Instagram account.