Updated Sept. 28, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere‘s ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, is taking his “urgent” concerns over the “Nashville” actress’ estate to court.
Klitschko, a former boxer and heavyweight champion whose engagement to Panettiere ended in 2018, filed a request for guardianship of their daughter Kaya Klitschko’s estate on Sept. 24, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court documents obtained by USA TODAY.
In the filings, Wladimir Klitschko’s lawyers shared his concerns over Panettiere’s probate estate, of which 11-year-old Kaya is the sole heir.
He “is informed and believes that non-family members previously connected to Hayden have accessed and destroyed Hayden’s emails” and was told that “certain items of personal property belonging to Hayden, including jewelry, have disappeared or remain unaccounted for,” according to one filing.
Some of these items are allegedly being held by law enforcement amid the ongoing investigation into the circumstances of the 36-year-old’s which was ruled an accident. Panettiere died Aug. 16 due to the “toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine,” according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office in South Carolina.
TMZ first reported the news. USA TODAY has reached out to Klitschko’s attorneys and a representative for Panettiere’s family for comment.
Hayden Panettiere allegedly hired home security after a person gained ‘unauthorized access’
According to Klitschko’s lawyers, federal agents accessed Hayden’s Los Angeles home during their investigation “and removed property belonging to Hayden’s estate.”
There is currently no one “authorized to safeguard the interests of Hayden’s estate in connection with the investigation, including the return of estate property once it is no longer needed by investigators, and to interface with investigators on behalf of Haden’s estate,” per the petition for the appointment of a temporary guardian for Kaya’s estate.
The petition alleges that before her death, Panettiere hired a security service to protect her home due to “a documented concern that an individual had gained unauthorized access to Hayden’s property.” Since her death, the home’s locks were allegedly changed, and her designer clothing and accessories from various public appearances were moved to storage units “as a precaution.”
A hearing for the case is scheduled for Dec. 7.
Why Wladimir Klitschko is seeking guardianship of daughter’s estate
As guardian of Kaya’s estate, Klitschko “may receive, manage and hold, on Kaya’s behalf, the assets to which Kaya is entitled from Hayden’s probate,” according to the petition for estate guardianship, which seeks to instate Klitschko on a permanent basis.
“It is urgent and essential that Wladimir be immediately appointed temporary guardian of Kaya’s estate, to afford Wladimir the necessary standing to file Hayden’s probate petition, and the power to nominate a proposed administrator of Hayden’s Estate,” the temporary guardian petition states.
Without Klitschko in the role, according to the petition, “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.”
Hayden Panettiere ‘very close’ with ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko months before her death
Panettiere and Klitschko met in 2009, when the actress was 19, and the boxer was 32. She revealed their engagement on “Live with Kelly and Michael” in October 2013, and the following year they welcomed Kaya, born in December 2014, while Panettiere was on “Nashville.”
The on-and-off couple had split for good by August 2018, when Klitschko was granted full custody of their daughter. Panettiere’s battle with postpartum depression and addiction influenced her decision to relinquish custody of Kaya, which she previously described as the “hardest thing I could do.”
“[Klitschko] and I are very close,” Panettiere said in a May episode of Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast, noting they are “still best friends.” She continued, “There’s not many people who know me in this world as well as he does. And I know that we still have an incredible amount of love for each other.”
