Hayden Panettiere‘s ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, has filed a petition on behalf of their daughter requesting that he be her temporary representative in California court to ensure that she is the beneficiary of her late mother’s estate, according to U.S. media reports.
Klitschko, a former world champion heavyweight boxer and Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine, has had full custody of their 11-year-old daughter Kaya since 2018, and she has lived with him in his home country for most of her life.
Kaya is Panettiere’s only child.
Klitschko’s filing, made in Los Angeles County court, the Associated Press reported, cites items seized in a federal investigation into the 36-year-old actor’s death—who died from the toxic effects of fentanyl and other drugs on August 16 at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina—unnamed and unauthorized people accessing her residence in Los Angeles, and valuables that are missing.
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The petition says it is “urgent and essential” that Klitschko be granted the legal status of temporary guardian of his daughter’s estate to protect her interests, according to the U.S. news outlet.
“Without an immediate appointment for these purposes, 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,” the filing says, adding that he intends to oversee the matter on their daughter’s behalf until a permanent administrator can be put in place.
Global News reached out to the Los Angeles County court but has not independently reviewed the documents.
FILE: Hayden Panettiere (L) and Wladimir Klitschko attend the World Music Awards 2010 at the Sporting Club on May 18, 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Venturelli/WireImage
The filing states that before the Nashville star’s death, Panettiere and Klitschko hired security at her home because an unnamed person had accessed the property without authorization.
The petition says it’s expected that the same individual will continue to try to “misappropriate” property belonging to Panettiere’s estate.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Oct. 8.
In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which was published months before her death, Panettiere wrote: “Not being under the same roof with her [Kaya] every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion, including sadness, resentment, and anger I felt because of it…
“I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be, and definitely not the mother I want to be. Trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime.”
Panettiere remained involved in her daughter’s life.
The actor, who died days before her 37th birthday, began acting at the age of four, appearing in soap operas and TV commercials.
Her role as a cheerleader with superpowers in Heroes propelled her to fame in 2006, with the series revolving around the mantra “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”
She went on to win three Teen Choice Awards for that role and was a Grammy Award nominee for a children’s spoken word album recorded a few years after the release of the animated movie A Bug’s Life. She later received two supporting actress nominations at the Golden Globes for her role as Juliette Barnes in Nashville.
Panettiere also appeared in two Scream films, and starred in the 2000s films Ice Princess and Bring It On: All or Nothing and as the title character in the 2009 film I Love You Beth Cooper. She also played the young daughter of a football coach in Remember the Titans.
— with files from the Associated Press
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