Hayden Panettiere's Ex Wladimir Klitschko Paying Her Tax Debts to Protect Estate

Heroes and Nashville star Hayden Panettiere’s ex-fiancé, retired heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, said he’ll use roughly $30,000 of his own money to pay the late actress' taxes so her estate avoids additional interest and penalties.

Klitschko made the claim in court documents, TMZ reported on Wednesday, October 7.

According to the filing, Klitschko claims Panettiere’s 2025 state and federal income tax returns will be due Thursday, October 15. He said Panettiere has an estimated obligation of about $30,000 for the year, and he’ll pay it personally.

Klitschko also intends to ask for reimbursement from Panettiere’s estate once it’s established. He’s using the tax issue as another reason the court should name him guardian of the estate of their 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, which would let him represent her interests in Panettiere’s estate.

Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16, at 36 from a drug overdose, and she didn’t have a will. As a result, Kaya stands to inherit all of her mother’s assets, including her condominium in West Hollywood.

Klitschko, who already had sole custody of Kaya, filed a petition in September asking to be appointed Kaya’s temporary guardian. In his petition, he stated Kaya is “not a resident of California; this Court has jurisdiction over the guardianship of Kaya’s estate because, as such heir, Kaya is entitled to the entirety of the assets subject to Hayden’s probate administration in California.”

Panettiere and Klitschko got engaged in 2013, had Kaya in December 2014 and split up in 2018. Klitschko has also said he wants to represent Kaya’s interests in the estate so he can recover property federal agents took from Panettiere’s home once their investigation is finished.

In a separate filing, Klitschko said he believes “a non-family member previously connected to Hayden” sold some of her personal items to a pawn shop, and he thinks the items included jewelry. Klitschko said the pawn shop won’t disclose specifics about the items until law enforcement contacts it, TMZ reported.

Klitschko said recovering Panettiere’s property directly affects Kaya’s inheritance, and he’s asking the court for the authority to seek a law enforcement investigation into recovering Panettiere’s possessions as part of his appointment as guardian. He said he’s struggling to get police to look into which items were sold because the court hasn’t formally appointed him as Kaya’s representative.

In his September petition, Klitschko said Panettiere hired a security service to protect her home and belongings before she died, “arising from a documented concern that an individual had gained unauthorized access to Hayden’s property.” Klitschko also alleged that federal agents entered her home during an ongoing investigation and removed certain items of hers. After Panettiere's death, he said the locks were changed at her home, and “storage units containing designer clothing and accessories worn to public appearances have been relocated as a precaution.”

“It is expected that the individual will continue to try and misappropriate property belonging to Hayden’s estate,” Klitschko said in the filing. “Given the high publicity of Hayden’s estate, a personal representative needs to be appointed immediately to safeguard and protect Hayden’s home and contents.” He has also claimed that Panettiere’s emails were accessed and destroyed. Panettiere’s family is unbothered by Klitschko's guardianship filing, TMZ reported, and the court hasn’t ruled on his request.