Hayden Panettiere’s daughter Kaya, 11, appears in court as Wladimir Klitschko wins estate guardianship
Kaya joined the remote proceeding from the same location as her father,
A judge has handed Wladimir Klitschko temporary guardianship over the estate of his late former fiancée, Hayden Panettiere, in a virtual hearing that also featured a short appearance by the couple’s 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
The ruling came Thursday, October 8, less than two months after Panettiere’s sudden death. Kaya is the only beneficiary named to inherit her mother’s estate, and Klitschko, the retired heavyweight boxing champion, sought the role on her behalf.
Kaya joined the remote proceeding from the same location as her father, though he stayed out of view. When the judge asked, she came on screen just long enough to state who she was and confirm that her dad was with her.
During the hearing, Klitschko’s lawyer, Diane Y. Park, asked the court to consider broader authority for her client. Among the requested powers was the ability to bring in police to look into, and help reclaim, estate property that a person outside the family may have improperly taken.
The judge granted the temporary guardianship and said Kaya will not have to attend the next hearing, which is scheduled for December 7.
Klitschko first asked for the guardianship in a September 24 filing, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. He argued the court needed to act quickly so he would have legal standing to open probate and nominate someone to administer the estate. Without swift action, the filing warned, assets could be lost or depleted before an official representative was in place to safeguard them.
Panettiere, 36, died on August 16 after being found unresponsive at a home in Greenville, South Carolina. First responders attempted to help her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are still investigating.
The Nashville and Heroes star began dating Klitschko in 2008, and they became engaged in 2013. Kaya was born the following year. After the pair separated in 2018, Klitschko received full custody of their daughter.
Panettiere revisited that arrangement in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, published in May 2026, calling the custody decision “the most gut-wrenching experience of my life.” The book also covered her difficult delivery, her battle with postpartum depression and her history of substance abuse.
