In the wake ofHayden Panettiere‘s allegedly abusive relationship with Brian Hickerson, the actress was spotted holding hands with his brother, Zach, on a stroll in New York City.
“Hayden and Zach are friends and have been for a while,” a source tells PEOPLE. The source also confirms that Panettiere and Hickerson broke up and have not communicated since a judgeissued a protective orderagainst him in May.
A rep for Panettiere did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Panettiere and Hickerson began dating after reports circulated that she and then-fiancéWladimir Klitschkohad split in August 2018. Klitschko, 43, and Panettiere share daughter, Kaya, 4,who lives in Ukrainewith her father.
Eric Charbonneau/REX/Shutterstock
Hickerson was charged withone count of felony domestic violenceon May 23 and pleaded not guilty to the charge, a spokesperson for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.
RELATED VIDEO: Hayden Panettiere Takes Us Inside Her Daughter’s Amazing Closet
In July, according to RadarOnline, Hickerson appeared in court as a Los Angeles superior judge listened to testimony from the police officer who responded to the domestic violence call on May 2. During the hearing, the judge denied the motion to dismiss criminal charges against Hickerson and declined to consider a lesser misdemeanor charge.
Panettiere’s family exclusively told PEOPLE, “We are hopeful that the judge makes the right decision. It’s an important message in terms of domestic violence for all women.”
If convicted, Hickerson faces up to four years in prison.
If you suspect domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
