A legal petition filed in Los Angeles County Court reveals that Nick Reiner is seeking immediate access to a $1.5 million inheritance fund to pay for his legal defense against charges of murdering his parents.
The 32-year-old defendant faces two counts of first-degree murder and four other felonies after his father, filmmaker Rob Reiner, and his mother, Michele Singer Reiner, were found stabbed to death at their Brentwood mansion in December.
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According to court documents, a trust established by the couple in 1993 directed that Nick Reiner receive half of his share at age 30 and the remainder at 35, but the initial payout was never distributed.
The petition alleges that trustee Paul R.
Kanin has withheld the funds since February using a series of changing justifications, including claims that the money cannot be released until guilt or innocence is established.
Due to the lack of funds, defense attorney Alan Jackson withdrew from the case, leaving the defendant dependent on a public defender.
“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths,” the submission to Los Angeles County Court on his behalf read.
The legal filing emphasizes that the criminal allegations are separate from the trust litigation and that the defendant maintains his presumption of innocence.
“But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this trust litigation.
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.”
The defense argues that the continued withholding of the inheritance money causes irreparable harm to the preparation of his criminal case.
“Every additional week of delay is a week in which the counsel of his choice cannot investigate or prepare on his behalf – prejudice to his defense that cannot be undone,” the petition reads.
The filing further accuses the trustee of wasting trust assets on legal fees to block the distribution.
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“The harm is irreparable and it grows with each day the trustee withholds funds that are already Nick’s.”
The defense claims these actions directly contradict the explicit instructions left by the late Hollywood filmmaker and his wife.
“In the meantime, for reasons unknown to petitioner, the trustee continues to deplete Nick’s funds by paying lawyers to raise one reason after another for holding on to Nick’s money for another two years, all of which violate the plain terms of the trust.”
Prosecutors allege that Nick Reiner fatally stabbed his parents following an argument at a holiday party hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien before fleeing the scene.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that the defendant could face the death penalty if convicted of the stabbings.
Following the tragedy, the defendant's older brother, Jake Reiner, expressed the profound grief experienced by the surviving siblings.
“I was robbed of so many things that day,” he wrote in April.
The emotional essay detailed the permanent impact the loss will have on future family milestones.
“My parents won’t be at my wedding, they won’t get to hold their future grandchild, and they won’t get to see me have the successful career I’m still seeking.”
The surviving brother concluded his public statement by describing his ongoing emotional struggle.
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“It simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me.”
