Nick Reiner, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, 'loved his parents' and 'is devastated by their deaths,' the petition says.
Nick Reiner, the son of director Rob Reiner and photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, is seeking unpaid money from a trust fund his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help pay for his defense against charges that he murdered them.
A 136-page petition filed by the 32-year-old Reiner’s civil attorneys in a Los Angeles County court on Monday says that trustees overseeing the fund, worth more than $1.5 million, have denied him without legal justification and will not share its exact value. , says Reiner’s parents had established individual trusts for Nick Reiner and his siblings.
Under the terms of Nick Reiner's trust, established in 1993, half of the funds should be released to him when he turned 30 and the rest at 35. In the filing, Nick Reiner's attorneys called the terms “unambiguous instructions. ”Reiner never received the funds he was entitled to when he turned 30, the petition says.
Attorney Paul R. Kanin, who has been overseeing the trust since February, has given “a shifting series of excuses and justifications” to deny Reiner the money, including concerns about Reiner’s competence that have no bearing on a payout, the petition added.reached out to Kanin for comment outside of office hours on Tuesday via a contact form on his firm's website. Reiner says he should also receive the money he was supposed to receive at 35 immediately, because his defense and his need for basic necessities in jail require it.
"Nick has asked that the remainder of his Trust...be released to him for his legal expenses; and funding his commissary account so that he can buy basic support items while incarcerated within the low spending limits imposed by the jail," the petition says. "Given the present circumstances, it is an abuse of the Trustee’s discretion to refuse those requests. Nick is currently awaiting trial on double homicide charges.
No use of his funds could be more important.
" Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were stabbed to death in their home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles on December 14. Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and has since pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.
“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 says.
“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. ”High-profile defense attorney Alan Jackson had agreed to represent Nick Reiner, according to the petition, but Jackson withdrew from the case on January 7. The new filing reveals that Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, had initially agreed to pay for Jackson, but later reversed course.
He has since been represented by attorneys with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. Jackson’s firm “was forced to withdraw because the anticipated funding from his siblings would not be provided,” the petition says.
“That same day, Nick issued a written directive requesting that Jackson’s firm resume its representation if and when funds became available, and directing the Public Defender to assists in facilitating that transition. ” The petition says that because Jackson’s firm had “performed substantial work in the initial phase, their familiarity with the matter would enable them to resume representation efficiently and effectively.
” In a declaration included with the petition, Jackson said, “my firm stands ready, willing, and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner” if the funds become available. The petition further asks that some of the second half of the trust’s funds be released so that Reiner can purchase basic necessities while incarcerated.
Reiner needs to replenish his commissary account"so that he can buy basic support items while incarcerated within the low spending limits imposed by the jail,” the filings state. The amounts needed to replenish the account “are minuscule compared to the more than $1.5 million still held by the trust,” it says.
“There is no conceivable justification for refusing small distributions for Nick’s basic support while incarcerated. ”The petition asks the court to issue an order compelling Kanin to release the mandatory distribution Reiner should have received at age 30 “without further delay, together with all interest and all income earned on that amount since September 14, 2023.
” It also requests an order compelling the trustee to “replenish Nick’s commissary account and to report the dates and amounts of all deposits to Nick’s counsel. ” The filing also requests the court provide instructions to the trustee, including a declaration that the distribution required by the time Reiner turns 35 “are mandatory” and the trustee “has no authority to withhold them based on concerns about Nick’s competence.
” Reiner is also asking the court to compel Kanin to provide a written assessment of the trust funds available for distribution and “damages and the redress of Kanin’s breaches of trust. ” The petition alleges that the trustees have refused to release the funds to which Reiner was entitled upon his turning 30 on September 14, 2023.
It says that Reiner retained counsel in connection with the matter in April this year, and that counsel informed Kanin that he had never received the distribution.
“Throughout April and May 2026, Nick repeatedly asked, through counsel, for information about the amount of the Mandatory Age-30 Distribution, and asked that it be immediately released,” the petition says. “The Current Trustee continued to delay, refusing to disburse it.
” For much of April, Kanin’s counsel said he was “still trying to gain access to the Trust’s accounts and records” and “unable to confirm the value and character of the Trust assets,” as well as saying that he had reason to believe Reiner had already received the distribution.
“As Nick’s counsel repeatedly emphasized, Nick had no knowledge of receiving such a significant sum in the past two years, and certainly had not spent it,” the petition says. When Kanin confirmed that the distribution had not been made, he “still refused to make the distribution, representing that that his ‘investigation’ was ongoing.
”The petition also states that Reiner was informed by Kanin that he would not be able to access funds from the larger family trust, which is not at issue in the petition, until his “guilt or innocence has been adjudicated in the criminal proceeding. ” The petition also says that Kanin has maintained that Reiner will not receive the distribution he was entitled to at age 30 until Kanin meets with him directly “to make a subjective assessment as to ‘whether Nick presently has the capacity to ‘exercise consistently good judgment’” about the management of the trust.
Please follow us on Google to support usUnited States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Son of Director Rob Reiner, Charged with His Murder, Sues for Access to Trust FundNick Reiner, facing murder charges in the deaths of his parents Rob and Michele Reiner, has filed a petition demanding access to his $1.5 million trust fund. He alleges the trustee is withholding his inheritance by raising excuses and refusing to pay his preferred lawyer, Alan Jackson, forcing him to rely on a public defender. The case underscores the high-stakes legal battle as the death penalty is considered.
Read more »
Rob Reiner's son Nick seeks money from trust parents left him for his defense in their killingsRob Reiner's son Nick Reiner is seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help in his defense against charges that he killed them.
Read more »
Rob Reiner’s son Nick seeks money from trust parents left him for his defense in their killingsNick Reiner, son of Rob Reiner, is seeking funds from a trust his parents established.
Read more »
'Being Charlie' Writer Nick Reiner Seeks Trust Funds for Murder DefenseNick Reiner, the writer and accused murderer of his parents, filed a petition to access half of his trust fund, claiming the trustee withheld payments with unsubstantiated excuses about his competence.
Read more »