Actress Hayden Panettiere has been dragged into her parents' legal battle over spousal support payments.

Former soap actress Lesley Panettiere filed for divorce from her husband Alan in 2012, and they have been locked in a bitter feud over spousal support.

Lesley has now brought her daughter into the legal proceedings, claiming in new documents that the Nashville star is letting her stay in her West Hollywood apartment for free because she has no money, reports TMZ.com.

According to the legal papers, Alan has only paid Lesley four months of spousal support since 2012, despite receiving a sum of $100,000 from his actress daughter as a gift earlier this year (15).

Panettiere's parents hit headlines in 2008 when Alan was charged with misdemeanour battery and sentenced to probation for hitting Lesley.