Hayden Panettiere's BF, Brian Hickerson's Plea In Abuse Case Was Rejected Days Before Her Death
Days before Hayden Panettiere's sudden death, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, faced a legal blow.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleAfter years of personal struggles, actress Hayden Panettiere passed away on August 16, 2026. She was just 36, and the news of her death was a shock to her fans and loved ones. Hayden faced many issues in her life, and domestic abuse was one of them. Her abusive relationship with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, often grabbed headlines. And just three days before Hayden’s death, Brian faced a big legal blow.
Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson’s plea in domestic abuse case was rejected
For the unversed, Hayden and Brian began dating in 2018, and the actress was subjected to a series of domestic abuse incidents between 2019 and 2020. Brian was arrested in 2021 and was sentenced to 45 days in county jail. Apart from this, he was given four years of formal probation, 52 mandatory domestic violence classes and a five-year restraining order.
Back in 2021, Brian Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend after he was arrested in Los Angeles. In 2025, he requested that his felonies be reduced or dismissed, but the court denied the request. Days before Hayden’s death, Brian made another attempt and pleaded to reduce his past felony charges, but it too went in vain. Three days before Hayden’s death, the prosecution objected to both his motions to expunge and to reduce the charges in a hearing on Aug. 13, 2026.
Inside Hayden Panettiere’s abusive relationship with Brian Hickerson
After Hayden and Brian began dating, the relationship became a subject of public scrutiny when reports about their domestic violence incidents surfaced. In 2019, Brian was charged with domestic violence, in which prosecutors alleged that he 'willingly' inflicted corporal injury that resulted in a traumatic condition for Hayden. Later, however, the charges were dropped.
On Valentine’s Day in 2020, cops alleged that he punched Hayden “with a closed fist on the right side of her face” at a private residence in Jackson, Wyoming. Later that year, he was charged with eight counts, including felony domestic violence, four felony charges of corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant, a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon, a misdemeanour charge of battery on a spouse, and also dissuading Hayden from testifying against him.
In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Hayden acknowledged that she faced both emotional and physical trauma during that phase. The actress also pointed out that her relationship with Brian led to some of her mental health and personal struggles.
She also admitted to having difficulty cutting contact with Brian. Talking about the same in an interview with Us Weekly, Hayden revealed:
“Getting an abusive person out of your life is like trying to rip a weed out that is so entangled into your life, and every time you pull it out another weed pops back up, and you’re like, I thought I killed this. They always manage to find a way to slither back in, even if you’re an incredibly strong-willed person. What happened in Wyoming helped push me in the right direction, but it still took me a long time. I still struggled to fully put a kibosh on it for a while.”
Sources close to Brian allege that the reports about their breakup were often exaggerated. The source also revealed that they had remained together much longer than anyone knew. At the same time, Brian admitted that he had made some serious mistakes and that violence against women was unacceptable.
What do you think about Hayden Panettiere’s abusive relationship with Brian Hickerson?
PC: Hayden Panettiere/IG, X
Also Read: Hayden Panettiere's Health Issues Come To Light, Actress Battled Back Pain Months Prior To Her Death
