Nick Reiner is demanding access to his $1.5 million trust fund to fight murder charges in the deaths of his parents Rob Reiner and Michelle Reiner.
On Monday, the “Being Charlie” writer filed a petition demanding funds that were supposed to be paid out of the trust when he turns 30 in 2023.
The petition, obtained by People, states that Nick will receive half of the trust “in full when he turns 30,” and the other half will be given to him when he turns 35.
Nick, who is charged with the murders of his parents, claimed in his petition that “months of repeated questioning” of the current trustees resulted in “a flurry of excuses and justifications,” including “unfounded ‘concerns’ about Nick’s so-called ability to ‘manage the trust.'”
Nick, now 32, and his legal team are requesting that the first half of the trust be waived so that funds can be deposited into a commissary account to cover legal fees and “purchase basic support items while incarcerated (such as socks and personal hygiene items such as soap) within the low spending limits imposed by the prison.”
“These distributions are non-discretionary,” the petition states. “The Trust does not authorize the Trustee to condition these distribution points on the Trustee’s subjective assessment of Nick’s use of these funds.”
Because the trust is “irrevocable,” Nick, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, argued in the petition that the trustee is not allowed to withhold funds from the beneficiaries, even if the trustee is deemed incompetent.
The document states that the trustee can only “change the method of distribution to an incompetent beneficiary.”
Court documents asserted that “there has been no judicial declaration that Nick is incompetent, nor has Nick been found to be incompetent by the written statements of two licensed physicians.”
Given the “current circumstances” of Nick being incarcerated and facing murder charges, the petition argued that “the use of his funds is of no further importance” and that it would be “an abuse of the trustee’s discretion to deny the request.”
The petition also states that Nick’s original attorney, Alan Jackson, was retained to represent the former “Dopey” podcast co-host in a payment negotiated “on behalf of Nick’s brother.”
But in January, Mr. Jackson was “forced to withdraw because funds were not available from this trust or the Reiner family trust.”
“Nick loved his parents and is devastated by their deaths, but the facts of what did or did not happen to them are not at issue in this trust action,” the petition states.
Page Six has reached out to Nick’s attorney for comment, but has not yet received a response.
Last December, Michelle and Rob were found stabbed to death in their home in Brentwood, California. He was 78 years old and she was 70.
The director and his wife’s death certificate states that they died within “minutes” of “multiple sharp force injuries” caused by “another person’s knife.”
Nick was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
In February, Nick pleaded not guilty to the double murder.
If you or a loved one is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call SAMHSA’s national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
