Hayden Panettiere’s ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko has filed an “urgent” petition to protect their 11-year-old daughter Kaya’s inheritance after the death of her mother.
The Heroes star died aged 36 last month from an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl, just weeks after leaving rehab.
She was found unresponsive in an apartment in South Carolina by the brother of her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who is understood to have been sleeping in another room.
Klitschko has now said it is “urgent and essential” that he be granted full legal status as temporary guardian of the estate.
The Ukrainian former world champion boxer has had full custody of Kaya for most of her life due to Panettiere’s substance abuse issues and she has lived with him in Ukraine. She is Panettiere’s sole heir.
Klitschko said unnamed and unauthorized people have been going into Panettiere’s Los Angeles home and there is a “high probability” of Panettiere’s belongings being “lost or damaged”, according to the filing in a Los Angeles county court.
The documents also cite items seized in a federal investigation of Panettiere’s death and valuables that are missing.
“Without an immediate appointment for these purposes, there is a high probability that property belonging to Hayden’s estate may be lost, damaged or dissipated before a duly appointed personal representative can be in place to protect it,” the filing says.
Klitschko’s legal team filed the petition on Thursday and it became publicly known on Monday, when it was reported by TMZ.
It stressed that Klitschko’s only intention is to protect Kaya’s future assets until a permanent administrator can be put in place.
Federal agents have taken Panettiere’s property in an investigation and there is no authorized person to liaise with them and assure it is returned, according to the filing.
Before Panettiere’s death, she and Klitschko had hired security to protect her home because an unnamed person had gained unauthorized access, the documents stated.
It is believed that the same person will continue to try to “misappropriate” property belonging to Panettiere. A hearing has been scheduled for October 8.
Panettiere died of an accidental overdose involving several prescription drugs, Greenville County’s coroner’s office ruled earlier this month.
The Nashville star dated Klitschko from 2009 to 2018, and they welcomed Kaya in 2014.
She made the “heartbreaking” decision to give him full custody of Kaya when their relationship ended amid her struggles, which she discussed in her 2026 memoir ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning’.
After her death, Klitschko shared an emotional statement on Instagram, penning: “Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief.
“The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.
“She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.
“To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was.
“I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today. Young and talented people like Hayden should not leave this world so soon.”
