Wladimir Klitschko gets temporary control of Hayden Panettiere's estate for daughter Kaya

The ruling

On Thursday, 8 October, Judge Stephanie Santoro of the Los Angeles County court granted Wladimir Klitschko temporary control over the estate of his former fiancée, actress Hayden Panettiere, who died on 16 August at the age of 36. Klitschko is now temporary guardian of the estate of their daughter Kaya, who is Panettiere's sole heir, until a permanent administrator is appointed. Klitschko has sole custody of Kaya and lives with her in Ukraine. Father and daughter joined the brief hearing by videoconference. The temporary powers remain in effect until a follow-up hearing on 7 December.

Why the petition was filed

Klitschko filed the urgent petition on 24 September. In his filings he claimed that law enforcement investigating the death had taken items connected to the estate, and that an unidentified non-family member had removed personal items and was trying to sell them. He also claimed that unidentified people connected to Panettiere had accessed and destroyed her emails, and that some of her jewelry appeared to be missing. His lawyer, Diane Park, told the court that assets risked going unaccounted for during the investigation and that Panettiere's taxes are due this month. Park said the pawn shop, the property and the unnamed individual are all in Los Angeles County, where the court holds jurisdiction. Park put the claim about the jewelry to the court in these words:

We also believe there's a non-family member associated with [Panettiere] who misappropriated personal property that belongs to the decedent's estate, and we believe the person has gone to a pawn shop to try to sell what we believe is jewelry.

The order allows Klitschko to file a probate petition, sign Panettiere's outstanding 2025 state and federal tax returns, and ask law enforcement to recover personal property. Panettiere's mother agreed to his appointment.

Death and background

Panettiere, known for the television series Heroes and Nashville, was found unresponsive by paramedics in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on 16 August. A coroner's report obtained by The Associated Press attributes her death to an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl. She had completed a stay in rehabilitation just weeks before. Her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the residence at the time. Klitschko and Panettiere had been a couple since 2009 and became engaged in 2013. Kaya, now 11, has lived mostly with her father in Ukraine since she was two years old.

Next steps

Klitschko's petition stressed that his actions are aimed exclusively at preserving his daughter's inheritance, warning that property "may be lost, damaged or dissipated". The lawyer told the court in earlier filings that Kaya is Panettiere's sole heir. The next hearing is set for 7 December. Park declined to comment outside the courtroom.