A Los Angeles judge has granted Hayden Panettiere’s former fiance Wladimir Klitschko temporary guardianship of the estate inherited by their 11-year-old daughter after the actress’s sudden death in August.
Klitschko had raised concerns about the preservation of Panettiere’s estate and had argued to the court that he needed control, claiming others outside of the late actress’s family had allegedly been trying to profit off her death.
Panettiere and Klitschko’s 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, is the sole heir to the TV star’s multimillion-dollar fortune. Panettiere had relinquished custody of Kaya to Klitschko in 2018.
Klitschko and Kaya appeared virtually before court on Thursday and only spoke during the hearing to introduce themselves.
The judge also authorized Klitschko to sign and pay Panettiere’s state and federal income tax returns, which are due in about a week. Permanent guardianship of the estate is set to be decided in December.
The development comes after Klitschko, a former boxer, filed a supplement this week to his September guardianship petition, claiming a non-family member had sold some of Panettiere’s possessions, including jewelry, to a pawn shop. Attorneys for Klitschko requested for him to have the power “to request and authorize law enforcement investigation into the recovery of Hayden’s property believed to have been misappropriated.”
Panettiere died on Aug. 16 from an accidental overdose of drugs, including fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office determined.
Both local and federal investigators are investigating the source and supplier of the illicit drugs.
Copyright 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
