Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend Brian Hickerson was facing a felony domestic violence charge after he allegedly beat up the Nashville actress in May, but the Los Angeles Superior Court has now dismissed the case. Hickerson allegedly abused Panettiere three different times in the course of two days, but prosecutors requested a dismissal because they didn’t have any witnesses.
According to Radar Online, the lack of witnesses in the case might be due to the fact that Panettiere refused to cooperate with prosecutors about the alleged beatings. Last month, Hickerson showed up in court with attorney Shawn Holley to alert the court that they were ready for trial. When the judge dismissed the case on Thursday, Hickerson reportedly let out “a huge sigh of relief” after looking “a bit anxious or nervous” before the court proceeding.
Exclusive: Ready to wed! Hayden Panettiere hopes to marry her boyfriend Brian Hickerson. https://t.co/fC5k8J1s8k
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) February 7, 2019
Since prosecutors dropped the felony charges, the restraining order issued against him on May 23rd has also been dropped, so Panettiere and Hickerson can now have contact with each other. The restraining order required Hickerson to stay at least 100 yards away from the 30-year-old actress, and he couldn’t contact her by phone, email, or any third party.
At the time, an insider claimed that the couple was possibly violating the restraining order, and that was disturbing to Panettiere’s family and friends.
“There is not one single person out there who isn’t concerned about Hayden. What Brian did to Hayden is unacceptable behavior, and it’s not to be tolerated,” said the source.
Police arrested Hickerson on May 2nd after they responded to a domestic violence call. Hickerson allegedly hit Panettiere repeatedly and left bruises on her neck, ears, and arms.
It isn’t clear what their relationship status is at this point, as cameras recently caught Panettiere in New York City holding hands with Hickerson’s brother Zach, a South Carolina pastor. Sources say that the actress’ friends and family were “disturbed” by the photos, calling it “a very strange set of circumstances.”
Hayden Panettiere & Boyfriend Brian Hickerson Are Still Going Strong Despite Domestic Violence Arrest- See Pics Of Them Out (via @JustJared) https://t.co/pvYgiPTnsx
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 18, 2019
“I don’t know if it’s better than the alternative,” said an insider. “How strange it may be, the one positive thing about this is Zach is certainly not the violent temper that Brian is.”
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Panetteire and Hickerson started dating in August 2018 after she split from fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. The former couple shares a four-year-old daughter named Kaya.
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