Hayden Panettiere's Ex-Fiancé Wladimir Klitschko Makes 'Urgent and Essential' Court Appeal to Protect Daughter Kaya's Inheritance After Actress's Death
Hayden Panettiere's ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko has filed a petition to serve as her estate’s temporary guardian to protect daughter Kara's inheritance.
Sept. 29 2026, Published 8:22 a.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere's ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko has filed a petition to serve as her estate’s temporary guardian to protect daughter Kara's inheritance, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The former heavyweight boxer, 50, says in the file it is "urgent and essential" he is granted the legal status of temporary guardian of his daughter's estate.
Protecting His Daughter's Future Assets
Klitschko was granted full custody of Kaya following his split from Panettiere.
He began dating Panettiere in 2008 and the pair got engaged in 2013, welcoming Kaya the following year.
They split in 2018, with Klitschko later granted full custody of their daughter.
The filing, first obtained by TMZ, says: "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 emphasizes that his intention is solely to protect his daughter's future assets until a permanent administrator can be put in place.
Unnamed Person Had Gained Unauthorized Access To Star's Home
Panettiere and Klitschko hired security to protect her home before her death.
The petition claims federal agents have taken Panettiere's property in an investigation, and there is no authorized person to deal with them and ensure it is returned.
It continues to say that before her death, Panettiere and Klitschko hired security to protect her home because an unnamed person had gained unauthorized access.
The petition says the same person is expected to continue trying to “misappropriate” property belonging to her estate.
The filing adds: "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.”
Klitschko also "believes that non-family members previously connected to Hayden have accessed and destroyed Hayden's emails."
Died After Accidental Overdose
Panettiere had been in rehab weeks before she passed away.
The Ukrainian also claims in the filing that he was "informed" that Panettiere’s personal property, including jewelry, has "disappeared or remains unaccounted for."
A hearing on the issue is scheduled for October 8.
Panettiere, the former star of the TV series Heroes and Nashville died August 16 at age 36.
A coroner’s report obtained said her death was from an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl, and she had been in rehab just weeks before.
She was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina.
In her memoir released earlier this year, Panettiere acknowledged being addicted to alcohol and having postpartum depression after her daughter's birth in 2014.
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Klitschko and brother Vitali are protecting Ukraine during war with Russia.
Kaya went to live with Klitschko full-time in when she was two.
Panettiere’s father told investigators that when she died she had plans to visit her daughter in Ukraine days later.
Klitschko, 50, an Olympic gold medalist, held several heavyweight titles between 2000 and 2015.
His older brother Vitali, also a former champion boxer, is mayor of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. The two brothers, sons of a Soviet major general, have worked to protect their country during its war with Russia.
