Hayden Panettiere’s 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, appeared remotely in a Los Angeles court on Oct. 8 as her father, Wladimir Klitschko, sought authority to protect her inheritance.
Kaya briefly came on camera to confirm her identity and that she was with her father. Klitschko explained that they were using the same account and he had only an audio connection. Her camera was then switched off.
Judge Stephanie Santoro appointed the former heavyweight champion temporary guardian of Kaya’s estate, according to The Associated Press. Kaya is her mother’s sole heir.
Panettiere, known for Heroes and Nashville, died Aug. 16 at 36 after being found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Order Covers Probate, Tax Returns and Property Recovery
The appointment allows Klitschko to file a probate petition on Kaya’s behalf and nominate an administrator for Panettiere’s estate. Rolling Stone reported that he also received permission to sign the actress’s outstanding 2025 state and federal tax returns and request law-enforcement assistance in recovering personal property.
His attorney, Diane Park, told the judge that investigators were holding some belongings the family wanted returned.
Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, submitted a document consenting to Klitschko’s appointment.
The temporary powers remain in effect until a follow-up hearing on Dec. 7. The judge said Kaya would not need to attend that proceeding, PEOPLE reported.
Klitschko Says Jewelry May Have Been Sold to a Pawn Shop
Klitschko’s Sept. 24 petition warned that property could be “lost, damaged or dissipated” before a representative was appointed to safeguard it.
In a subsequent filing reviewed by Entertainment Weekly, he said he had been informed that a non-family member previously connected to Panettiere had sold some of her belongings, believed to include jewelry, to a pawn shop.
The filing said the shop had declined to provide specific information about the items without contact from law enforcement. Klitschko argued that any remaining belongings could be sold or transferred before they could be recovered. At the hearing, Park confirmed that the shop, property and unnamed person were in Los Angeles County.
He also alleged that he and Panettiere had hired security before her death because someone had gained unauthorized access to her property. The security service changed the locks afterward, and storage containing designer clothing and accessories was relocated as a precaution, according to the filings described by Rolling Stone.
Klitschko separately alleged that non-family members had accessed and destroyed some of Panettiere’s emails.
Panettiere’s Death Was Ruled Accidental
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office announced Sept. 22 that Panettiere died from the toxic effects of several substances, including fentanyl, and classified her death as an accident.
With the cause and manner established, the coroner’s office administratively closed its case, Fox Carolina reported. Greenville police said their separate investigation remained open and that detectives would continue following leads and gathering information.
Panettiere Spoke About Staying Close to Kaya From a Distance
Panettiere and Klitschko became engaged in 2013 and welcomed Kaya in December 2014. They separated in 2018, and Klitschko has had full custody of their daughter since that year.
In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, released in May, Panettiere described the pain of giving up custody alongside her experiences with postpartum depression and addiction.
Speaking with NPR for an interview published May 15, she expressed gratitude for her co-parenting relationship with Klitschko and said she traveled to spend time with Kaya whenever possible.
“If I can’t be there with her physically, then I talk to her all the time on FaceTime,” she said.
Panettiere also said she wanted Kaya to have a private childhood. She described watching her daughter make friends and thrive socially as especially meaningful after her own difficulties growing up in the entertainment industry.