Nick Reiner seeks money for defense in his parents' killings from trust they established for him

Nick Reiner, who is accused of sidesplitting his parents — acclaimed manager Rob Reiner and movie shaper Michele Reiner — is asking a Los Angeles tribunal to merchandise funds from a spot his parents established for him, to wage for his ineligible defense.

A petition filed by Reiner’s civilian attorneys successful a Los Angeles County tribunal connected Monday says that trustees overseeing the funds person denied them to him without ineligible justification, and the 32-year-old suspect needs them. “Time is of the essence,” helium told the trustee earlier this year.

In December 2025, Reiner was arrested connected suspicion of murdering his parents days aft the beloved Hollywood powerfulness mates was recovered slain astatine their Brentwood home. Family friends told The Times that Rob and Nick got into an statement astatine Conan O’Brien’s vacation enactment conscionable hours earlier the couple’s murder. Many enactment guests noticed Nick acting strangely, the friends said.

Nick Reiner, who has struggled with addiction for years, was surviving successful a guesthouse connected his parents’ property, a household person said, and his parent had go progressively acrophobic astir his intelligence wellness successful the weeks starring up to her death.

“Nick loved his parents, and helium is devastated by their deaths,” reads the petition. “But the facts astir what did and did not hap to them are not astatine contented successful this Trust litigation. Nick’s transgression defence attorneys volition contiguous those facts successful the transgression case; this Petition neither requires nor invites this Court to measurement successful connected them. Like anyone accused of a crime, Nick is presumed innocent, and helium is entitled to equine his defence with the resources that are lawfully his own.”

According to tribunal documents obtained by The Times, Rob and Michele Reiner established idiosyncratic trusts for Nick and his siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, much than 30 years ago. The Nick Reiner Children’s Trust is simply a smaller spot created and funded independently of the acold larger household spot that clasp the assets of the Reiner estate.

“Those trusts, and Nick’s involvement successful them, are not astatine contented here,” the petition reads. “The presumption of Nick’s Trust are not complicated, and they are not taxable to tenable dispute. Nick’s parents near unambiguous instructions astir erstwhile the funds successful the Trust were to beryllium released to him. One-half of the Trust was required to beryllium distributed to Nick outright erstwhile helium turned 30. ... They further instructed that erstwhile helium turned 35, helium would person the remainder of the funds successful his Trust. These distributions are mandatory and unconditional.”

The tribunal documents accidental that the trustee is authorized to marque different discretionary distributions to Reiner for his support, maintenance, wellness and acquisition until each funds are released to him connected his 35th day — but, the documents state, erstwhile helium turned 30 successful 2023, helium didn’t person his payout.

Oversight of the spot has changed hands since December, according to the petition, and lawyer Paul R. Kanin, who’s overseen it since February, has fixed “a shifting bid of excuses and justifications” to contradict Reiner the money, including concerns of competency. Kanin is resigning, effectual June 11, and fiduciary Jodi Pais Montgomery volition instrumentality implicit managing the trust.

“Nick is presently awaiting proceedings connected treble homicide charges,” reads the petition. “No usage of his funds could beryllium much important. ... The stakes for Nick could not beryllium higher.”

Reiner was initially represented by high-profile transgression defence lawyer Alan Jackson, who besides repped Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, but successful January, Jackson dropped Reiner erstwhile his siblings didn’t wage for the pricey defense. Reiner, who is being held astatine the Twin Towers Correctional Facility successful Los Angeles, is presently represented by an lawyer with the L.A. County nationalist defender’s office.