Hayden Panettiere's relatives are standing behind her former partner Wladimir Klitschko as he petitions for legal guardianship of their daughter, Kaya, according to TMZ.com. The outlet reported on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, that family sources describe Klitschko as a committed parent who has Hayden's interests in mind.
The family's position, as conveyed to TMZ, is that the court action is largely procedural. They also stated, "Wlad is a great father and we are grateful," according to TMZ.
The filing seeks to give Klitschko broader authority to make decisions for Kaya, who is 11 years old and is positioned to receive her mother's assets. Sources connected to the family told TMZ they view the guardianship request as a step to manage the transfer of Hayden's estate to her daughter.
Klitschko and Panettiere were engaged at one point and continued to co-parent after their relationship ended. In 2018, Klitschko was granted full custody of Kaya while Panettiere dealt with postpartum depression, and the child has resided with him in his home country of Ukraine since that time.
The guardianship petition follows years of public attention to Panettiere's struggles with addiction, as TMZ noted in its prior coverage. In the court documents obtained by TMZ, Klitschko states that before her death, Hayden arranged for a security company to safeguard her residence and the belongings inside it, citing what the filing describes as "a documented concern that an individual had gained unauthorized access to Hayden's property." Klitschko does not identify that person in the paperwork.
According to the filing, a company changed the locks after Hayden's death, and storage units holding designer clothing and accessories she had worn to public appearances "have been relocated as a precaution." Securing guardianship would grant Klitschko exclusive access to Hayden's property.
People close to the family told TMZ they believe an additional motive for the filing is Klitschko's residence outside the United States, and his desire to ensure he can safeguard Kaya's interests domestically.