Klitschko Seeks Court Role to Safeguard Daughter's Inheritance After Panettiere's Death

Wladimir Klitschko, the former world heavyweight boxing champion, has filed an urgent petition in a Los Angeles County court seeking to act as temporary representative for his 11-year-old daughter's estate, following the death of her mother, actor Hayden Panettiere.

The filing, submitted on Thursday and made public on Monday, asks the court to grant Klitschko legal status as temporary guardian of Kaya's estate. It describes the appointment as "urgent and essential," warning that without it, property belonging to Panettiere's estate could be "lost, damaged or dissipated" before a permanent administrator is appointed.

Kaya is Panettiere's sole heir. Klitschko, 50, has held full custody of the girl for most of her life, and she has lived with him in Ukraine.

The petition cites several concerns: items seized during a federal investigation into Panettiere's death, unauthorized individuals accessing her Los Angeles residence, and valuables reported missing. It states that federal agents have taken property as part of their investigation, with no authorized person currently able to engage with them or ensure its return.

According to the filing, Panettiere and Klitschko had hired security to protect her home before her death after an unnamed person gained unauthorized access. The petition says it is expected that the same individual will continue to attempt to "misappropriate" property belonging to the estate.

Klitschko's lawyers emphasize that his intention is solely to protect his daughter's future assets until a permanent administrator can be installed. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for October 8.

Panettiere, known for her roles in the television series "Heroes" and "Nashville," died on August 16 at age 36. A coroner's report said her death resulted from an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl, and that she had been in rehabilitation just weeks earlier. She was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina.

In a memoir released earlier this year, Panettiere acknowledged struggling with alcohol addiction and postpartum depression after Kaya's birth in 2014. The child went to live with Klitschko full-time when she was two. Panettiere's father told investigators that at the time of her death, she had planned to visit her daughter in Ukraine within days.

Klitschko, an Olympic gold medalist, held several heavyweight titles between 2000 and 2015. He and Panettiere began dating in 2009 and became engaged in 2013. His older brother, Vitali, also a former champion boxer, serves as mayor of Kyiv; both brothers have worked to support Ukraine during its war with Russia.