Wladimir Klitschko has filed an urgent court petition to become guardian of his daughter Kaya’s inheritance from Hayden Panettiere.
The former heavyweight boxing champion, 50, submitted paperwork in Los Angeles on Thursday seeking temporary guardianship of the 11-year-old’s estate, according to court documents. Klitschko stated that Kaya, who lives with him in Ukraine, “is entitled to the entirety” of the late actress’s assets. The filing described the appointment as “urgent and essential” so he could “receive, manage and hold” the property on his daughter’s behalf.
Klitschko raised alarms about the security of Panettiere’s estate in the documents. He wrote that he is “informed and believes” federal agents entered the actress’s Los Angeles residence as part of an ongoing investigation and “removed property belonging to Hayden’s Estate.” He also noted there is currently no personal representative protecting the estate’s interests.
The court papers detailed additional protective measures already taken. “Prior to her death, Hayden and [Klitschko] had hired a security service to protect Hayden’s Home and its contents, arising from a documented concern that an individual had gained unauthorized access to Hayden’s property,” the filing stated. “Locks to Hayden’s Home were changed by the security service following Hayden’s death, and storage units containing designer clothing and accessories worn to public appearances have been relocated as a precaution.”
Klitschko did not name the individual in the documents, but warned that “it is expected that the individual will continue to try and misappropriate property belonging to Hayden’s Estate,” He added that “given the high publicity of Hayden’s Estate, a personal representative needs to be appointed immediately to safeguard and protect Hayden’s Home and contents.”
The filing also contained allegations about missing items and compromised communications. Klitschko claimed that non-family members have “accessed and destroyed” Panettiere’s emails, and that certain personal belongings including jewelry “have disappeared or remain unaccounted for,” with some now held by law enforcement.
Panettiere’s parents, Lesley Vogel and Skip Panettiere, are separately contesting possession of jewelry the actress was wearing when she died, according to a Greenville County coroner’s report obtained last week. One parent requested the earrings be mailed to North Carolina, while the other wanted them sent to California. Panettiere had been estranged from her mother, who previously served as her manager, before her death.
The “Nashville” and “Heroes” star died from the toxic effects of multiple drugs including fentanyl at a South Carolina Airbnb on Aug. 16. She was 35. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson was present at the scene.
Panettiere and Klitschko had an on-and-off relationship from 2009 to 2018. That year, she transferred custody of Kaya to Klitschko while battling postpartum depression and addiction. Despite the distance, Panettiere maintained she shared a close connection with her daughter. “I go travel as much as I can. I see her. I do spend a lot of time on FaceTime with her, but we talk about really deep things,” she told Jay Shetty on the “On Purpose” podcast in May. She also rejected abandonment rumors, saying, “I mean, the idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be OK with it is heartbreaking. Couldn’t be further from the truth.”
After her death, a source close to the “Scream” actress said she had been planning to spend her birthday week with Kaya in Germany. “She was so excited to see her and was telling everyone how much she was looking forward to spending time with her,” the source added.
Klitschko publicly mourned Panettiere in a social media tribute last month. “Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief,” he wrote. “The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon,” He continued, “To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was.”
Klitschko and Kaya did not attend Panettiere’s memorial reception in Malibu on Sept. 19, which drew approximately 150 family members and friends. Vogel and Hickerson were also absent from the event.
Klitschko’s lawyers have not yet responded to requests for comment on the guardianship filing.
