Brian Hickerson, the former on-again, off-again boyfriend of actress Hayden Panettiere, was denied a request to reduce or expunge his felony domestic abuse convictions just three days before her death.

Los Angeles County Judge Olivia Rosales rejected Hickerson’s latest petition during a hearing on August 13. Prosecutors had opposed his request to have the felony charges reduced to misdemeanours and removed from his criminal record.

Hickerson pleaded no contest in April 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend following a series of incidents involving Panettiere between May 2019 and January 2020.

His sentence included 45 days in county jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes and a five-year restraining order. He ultimately spent 33 days behind bars after receiving credit for time previously served in custody.

The court’s decision came after Hickerson made a similar request in July 2025. His latest petition again sought relief from the felony convictions, but prosecutors maintained their opposition.

Panettiere and Hickerson began dating in 2018. Their relationship continued on and off and became associated with multiple domestic violence incidents and arrests.

The actress later spoke publicly about the abuse in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, describing the emotional difficulty of breaking away from an abusive relationship.

In an interview with Us Weekly in May, Panettiere compared leaving an abusive partner to trying to remove an invasive weed whose roots remain deeply connected to one’s life.

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Panettiere died at the age of 36 on Sunday, according to reports.

Reports surrounding her death have mentioned a 911 call in which an “overdose” was referenced. Narcan was also reportedly found at the scene.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed the cause of death, and the circumstances surrounding her passing remain under investigation.

The timing of the court ruling and Panettiere’s death has drawn renewed attention to the actress’s publicly documented history with Hickerson. However, no connection between the legal proceedings and her death has been established by authorities.