Hayden Panettiere Granted Restraining Order Against Former Boyfriend Brian Hickerson

Hayden Panettiere has been granted a restraining order against her former boyfriend Brian Hickerson. According to multiple reports, the 30-year-old actress filed to register an out-of-state restraining order to protect her from Hickerson in the state of California, where she currently resides.

The news comes five months after Hickerson was arrested in Wyoming for domestic battery following an alleged incident with Panettiere.

According to court documents obtained by ET at the time, Panettiere called the police after Hickerson allegedly “struck Panettiere with a closed fist on the right side of her face.” The documents claim that Panettiere locked Hickerson out of a private home the couple was staying at and when police arrived at the address, an alleged intoxicated Hickerson was standing in the driveway. The documents allege that Hickerson told police that Panettiere was “…saying he beat the f**k out of me.” According to the report, police on the scene noticed visible injuries on Panettiere’s face, including “a fresh scrape and swelling on the top of her left hand which she believed came from Hickerson’s watch during the altercation.”

According to the court documents filed in February, when Hickerson was asked by police if he punched Panettiere, his “demeanour immediately changed and he avoided the question.” The document claims that Hickerson told police that nothing happened between him and Panettiere. The couple, according to the documents, hired a private chef for $700 for the evening and the chef was interviewed by police and told officers that the couple was arguing earlier in the evening, but the male chef had already left before the alleged early morning physical fight occurred.

Hickerson was arrested at the scene for alleged domestic battery. In April, he reportedly pleaded not guilty to the charge.

This wasn’t the first time Hickerson was arrested for an incident involving Panettiere. Last May, he was booked on suspicion of felony domestic violence and later charged with one felony count of domestic violence, and he pleaded not guilty.

On Friday, Panettiere provided an update via Twitter along with information “for anyone else affected by abuse and needing support.”

“I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me with the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve,” she wrote.

Adding, “I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again. I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life.

For anyone else affected by abuse and needing support, please know that you can call 1-800-799-7233. If you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto https://t.co/4srbDBguNm or text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474. You are not alone. pic.twitter.com/R3VNHXonrL

— Hayden Panettiere (@haydenpanettier) July 17, 2020