Since Hayden Panettiere’s unexpected death at the age of 36, one question people have is: who will inherit her estate?
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According to the actress’ estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, Panettiere’s 11-year-old daughter will likely be the beneficiary. Kaya is being raised in Europe by her father, Panettiere’s former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, who has custody.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Vogel said that her only granddaughter was “exceptional.” She added that Kaya is an “amazing human being,” TMZ reported.
Vogel claims that she doesn’t know the details of Panettiere’s estate, and it appears that she didn’t have a will set up. As a result, Kaya will inherit the entire estate based on California law. And that seems just fine with Vogel.
However, things are not as clear cut as they seem.
“Certainly, the California estate can’t go to a minor, and it’s going to have to go to some sort of protective vehicle for the daughter until she reaches the age of 18,” Marc M. Stern, a California-based lawyer with no ties to the family, told PEOPLE.
“Because her daughter is under age 18 and can’t hold money, if it wasn’t set up in a trust for her daughter’s benefit, there would be a court-ordered guardianship that would be created,” he explained. “The money would go into the guardianship estate, and the person designated to represent the guardianship estate would be the one who’d be in charge of the money.”
And while Stern believes Klitschko would be the “natural guardian” of the estate, he says Panettiere’s parents could still be in the picture.
“Her parents could petition the court to be appointed as a guardian of the estate,” he said.
Sources told Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice that Vogel is eyeing the role.
“Lesley is positioning herself to take charge again,” the source said. “Kaya is the heir, but she’s only 11. Someone has to manage everything, and that person could have enormous influence over Hayden’s legacy.”
According to the source, it’s “about much more than just the money.” They say “Whoever controls Hayden’s estate controls a major piece of her legacy — and that matters.”