Nick Reiner seeks access to $1.5M trust fund to pay for defense in parents’ murder case
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesNick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of late Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has petitioned a Los Angeles County court to release funds from a trust his parents established for him, arguing he needs the money to mount a defense against charges that he killed them.
Civil attorneys for Mr. Reiner filed the petition Monday, saying trustees overseeing the funds have denied him access without legal justification. The petition argues that Mr. Reiner is entitled to the money regardless of the criminal proceedings against him.
“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation,” the petition states, as reported by CBS News. “Like anyone accused of a crime, Nick is presumed innocent, and he is entitled to mount his defense with the resources that are lawfully his own.”
Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2025. Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and has since pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances.
According to the petition, Mr. Reiner was entitled to half of the trust when he turned 30 and should receive the remainder when he turns 35 — distributions his attorneys called “mandatory and unconditional.” The trust was established in 1993. The petition says the trust still holds more than $1.5 million for Mr. Reiner’s sole benefit and that every dollar must eventually be released to him outright when he turns 35.
Despite that, the trustee overseeing the funds since February, attorney Paul R. Kanin, has given “a shifting series of excuses and justifications” to deny Mr. Reiner the money, including concerns about his competence that his attorneys say have no bearing on a payout that is mandatory. Mr. Reiner says he should also get the money he was to receive at 35 immediately because his defense and his need for basic necessities in jail require it. The petition says the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, but that Mr. Kanin will not share the exact amount of its value. Mr. Kanin did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Reiner is seeking the money to fund his defense and to cover his commissary account while he is incarcerated. The petition states he has been unable to pay for what he needs while in jail or to retain criminal counsel.
The filing also sheds new light on why Mr. Reiner lost his first private attorney. Mr. Reiner retained high-profile defense lawyer Alan Jackson to represent him, but less than a month later, Mr. Jackson left the case. The filing reveals that Mr. Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, had initially agreed to pay for Mr. Jackson but reversed course. In a declaration included with the petition, Mr. Jackson said his firm stands ready to resume representation if funds become available, according to NBC News. Mr. Reiner has since been represented by a public defender.
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Sources with direct knowledge of the case told NBC News that Mr. Reiner had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that his medication was adjusted at some point before the slayings of his parents.
Proceedings in the murder case are moving slowly. A judge in April set a preliminary hearing for Sept. 15 after the defense said it was still awaiting evidence and prosecutors said autopsy reports had not been completed. Mr. Reiner is eligible for the death penalty under the special circumstances allegations, but District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said his office has not yet decided whether to seek it. Authorities have disclosed nothing about possible motives, and a court order has kept most details of the autopsy secret.
In April, Mr. Reiner’s brother Jake gave his first public account of losing his parents, describing the experience in a Substack essay as a “living nightmare” that is “too devastating to comprehend.”
Rob Reiner was a prolific Hollywood director whose credits included “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men” and “When Harry Met Sally…” He met Michele Singer during the production of the latter film. They wed soon after and were married for 36 years.
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