Kaya Klitschko Appears in Court for Estate Hearing
Eleven-year-old daughter of Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko present during guardianship proceedings.
Kaya Klitschko, the 11-year-old daughter of the late actress Hayden Panettiere and boxer Wladimir Klitschko, made an appearance in court on Thursday. She appeared remotely alongside her father during a hearing concerning guardianship of Panettiere's estate.
Kaya, dressed in a white t-shirt, spoke to the judge while on camera with her father. According to reports, she was described as soft-spoken and composed during the proceedings.
During the hearing, Wladimir Klitschko was granted temporary guardianship of Panettiere's estate. His attorney also requested the authority to involve law enforcement in investigating the recovery of assets believed to have been misappropriated by an individual not related to the family.
This development follows Klitschko's filing of court documents on Tuesday, seeking a law enforcement investigation into claims that Panettiere's belongings, including jewelry, were pawned after her death. Court documents obtained by TMZ indicate Klitschko's belief that a former associate of the actress may have pawned these items. He stated that the pawn shop had declined to provide details without law enforcement involvement, raising concerns about potential sales to third parties.
In court documents filed last month and obtained by Page Six, Klitschko detailed that Kaya, who resides with him in Ukraine, is entitled to her mother's assets. He emphasized the urgency of being appointed guardianship to manage and hold these assets on Kaya's behalf.
Sources close to Panettiere's family have expressed support for Klitschko's actions, stating, "Wlad is a great father, and we are grateful."
Panettiere and Klitschko began their relationship in 2009 and became engaged in 2013. Kaya was born in December 2014. The couple's on-again, off-again relationship concluded in 2018, the same year Klitschko was awarded full custody of their daughter.
In a September 2022 appearance on "Red Table Talk," Panettiere described relinquishing full custody of Kaya as a deeply upsetting and heartbreaking experience.
The "Nashville" actress passed away in August at the age of 36 due to an accidental overdose. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed that her death resulted from the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine.