Nick Reiner, the son of Rob and Michelle Reiner, filed a trust fund waiver in Los Angeles Probate Court to pay for his legal defense for the murders of his parents.
Reiner’s lawyers argue that she should have access to a trust set up by her parents shortly after her birth in 1993. According to the petition, Reiner is the sole beneficiary of assets totaling more than $1.5 million.
Renowned film director Rob Reiner and his wife, producer Michelle, were found stabbed in their Brentwood home in December. Nick Reiner has since been held in the Los Angeles County Jail without bail on two counts of capital murder. He is represented by a public defender and has maintained his innocence.
“Nick loved his parents and is devastated by their death,” the petition reads. “But the facts of what did or did not happen to them are not at issue in this trust case.”
Reiner was initially represented by private attorney Alan Jackson, who withdrew from the case in January. According to the petition, Jackson was initially assured by Reiner’s brothers, Jake and Romy, and a family representative that the family would pay for the costs. But in late December, Jackson was told the funds would not be provided and was forced to withdraw from the case, according to the filing.
The petition states that Nick Reiner still wants Jackson to represent him and that Jackson is willing to do so if the funds are available. But trustee Paul Kanin is reluctant to release the funds, citing “unresolved concerns” about Reiner’s “ability to make sound decisions and adequately protect his interests,” according to the petition.
Mr. Reiner offered to pay the legal fees directly to Mr. Jackson’s law firm. He is also seeking access to funds to obtain a small bond for a prison commissary.
A new trustee, Jody Montgomery, was recently appointed to take over management of Reiner’s trust. According to the filing, Ms. Montgomery has hired a consultant to meet with Ms. Reiner to determine “how to best support Mr. Nick given the limited amount of trust funds that must be left for him to serve him for the rest of his life.”
According to the petition, Reiner was supposed to receive half of the funds on her 30th birthday, but that never happened. The balance will be paid when he turns 35 in two years, but the trustees have discretion to distribute the funds sooner.
“The stakes for Nick could not be higher,” the petition reads. “There is no good reason to withhold anything more than a small amount of money for trust administration. Nothing makes the use of Nick’s funds more important than his legal fees and basic support while incarcerated.”
The petition does not concern the “much larger” trust that constitutes the Reiner family’s estate, of which Nick Reiner is a “full and equal” beneficiary. According to the petition, Mr. Kanin has already made clear that a portion of the Reiner Family Trust will not be paid to Nick Reiner until the criminal case is resolved.
Under California’s “murderer law,” Reiner would be barred from inheriting any part of his parents’ property if he were convicted of murdering them. However, the trust petition asserts that Nick Reiner is entitled to the presumption of innocence, suggesting the family trust could be the subject of future litigation.
Reiner’s mental state at the time of his parents’ death has been a source of speculation, but has not yet been an issue in the criminal case. Concerns over his alleged “incompetence” prompted the trustee to advise that “further investigation is needed before making a prudent distribution of a large amount,” according to the filing.
Mr. Reiner’s trust lawyers argue that Mr. Reiner is not incompetent under the definition of a trust, which requires a judicial declaration and written statements from two licensed physicians.
