As the days go by following Hayden Panettiere’s tragic passing, things keep getting messier. On Monday, it was revealed that her ex, Wladimir Klitschko, is taking legal action to protect their 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, and the inheritance she is expected to receive from her late mother.
Klitschko, Panettiere’s former fiancé and Kaya’s father, filed paperwork in Los Angeles on Sept. 24 asking to be appointed the temporary guardian of Kaya’s estate, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
The request does not concern custody of Kaya; Panettiere had already given him full custody before she passed. He’s basically asking for authority to act on his daughter’s behalf while Panettiere’s estate goes through probate.
According to the filing, Kaya is the sole heir to Panettiere’s estate and “is entitled to the entirety” of the assets subject to the probate process. Klitschko says the appointment is “urgent and essential” so he can protect Kaya’s interests and help secure the assets she is set to inherit.
© GettyWhy is Wladimir Klitschko asking to be guardian of Kaya’s estate?
© GettyKlitschko’s petition centers on concerns about what could happen to Panettiere’s property while there is no personal representative overseeing her estate.
The former boxer says federal agents accessed Panettiere’s Los Angeles home as part of the ongoing investigation into her death and removed property belonging to her estate.
Klitschko wants to have the authority to seek the return of those belongings once investigators no longer need them.
He also says he and Panettiere had previously hired a security service because of concerns that someone had gained unauthorized access to her home.
According to the court documents, the locks were changed after Panettiere’s death, while some storage units containing clothing and accessories she wore for public appearances were moved as a precaution.
Klitschko further alleges that some jewelry and other personal belongings are missing or unaccounted for, while certain items remain with law enforcement.
He also claims that non-family members accessed and destroyed some of Panettiere’s emails.
Without naming the individual he is concerned about, Klitschko wrote that he believes the person could continue attempting to take property from Panettiere’s estate.
Because Kaya is a minor and lives outside California, Klitschko is asking the court to give him the legal authority to act on her behalf during the probate process.
What will Kaya inherit from Hayden Panettiere?
© GettyAccording to the petition, Panettiere died without a will, making Kaya the sole heir to her estate.
That includes Panettiere’s personal belongings as well as her Los Angeles property, according to TMZ.
Hayden Panettiere’s parents are also fighting over her belongings
© GettyKlitschko’s filing comes shortly after a separate dispute involving Panettiere’s parents and jewelry their daughter was wearing around the time of her death.
Her parents, Lesley Vogel and Skip Panettiere, reportedly disagreed over where the earrings should be sent after they were placed in a locker for safekeeping, according to a Greenville County coroner’s report obtained by Page Six.
One parent wanted the earrings sent to North Carolina, while the other wanted them delivered to an address in California.
The disagreement is now part of the broader questions surrounding Panettiere’s estate and what will happen to her belongings.
Hayden spoke openly about her bond with Kaya
© GettyThe legal battle over Panettiere’s estate comes just months after the actress spoke publicly about her relationship with her daughter and pushed back against the idea that she had abandoned her.
Panettiere and Klitschko welcomed Kaya in December 2014. The couple eventually ended their relationship, and in 2018, Panettiere gave Klitschko full custody while she sought treatment for postpartum depression and addiction. Kaya went on to live primarily with her father in Europe.
Panettiere addressed the decision during a May 2026 appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, saying the idea that she had simply “given away” her daughter was painful.
“I mean, the idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be OK with it is heartbreaking,” she said. “Couldn’t be further from the truth.”
She explained that by the time she was healthy enough to consider bringing Kaya back to live with her, she felt it would have been unfair to disrupt the life her daughter had built.
“By the time I finally got healthy, I felt like it would have been unfair of me and selfish of me to try to pull her out away from this life that she had created,” Panettiere said. “She was living an incredible life. She’s an incredible little girl.”
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