The request for a restraining order was filed in Nashville on Tuesday by She’s Alive, which is run by Parton’s longtime manager Danny Nozell.
The court documents quoted a series of exchanges in which someone, identified by the estate as Seaver, threatened to destroy Parton’s brand.
In one, he said he would become “the hand of retribution for my entire family”, according to the court documents.
Another said: “I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships and telling the violations these people have done on us. It’s going to be great. Or [expletive] pay me.”
The papers also claimed that Seaver used his experience as a military contractor to intimidate employees.
In an exchange with one of Parton’s lawyers, he allegedly described himself as a “killer” and said that on the day his aunt died, he had sold $27m (£20m) in arms and ammunition to the Haitian police.
“All I do is warfare… Everyone needs to be worried about what I might do,” he was accused of saying, according to a copy of an email attached to the complaint.
In his statement to TMZ, Seaver said: “I am a career soldier and military contractor and do conduct arms deals for foreign governments. I am a security professional and I am a killer.”
But he denied making threats and said he had been “talking frankly in a private way with Danny who I thought was my friend”.
The messages have resulted in some employees and lawyers for Parton’s trusts and estates resigning, according to the court documents.
She’s Alive has also had to hire private security for its employees, including at their homes, the filing states.
The BBC has contacted Seaver and She’s Alive for further comment.
