Nick Reiner battles for $1.5M trust fund to finance defense in Rob and Michele Reiner murder case
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of late filmmaker Rob Reiner and producer-photographer Michele Singer Reiner, is seeking access to a trust fund established by his parents as he prepares for trial in connection with their deaths.
Nick has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and is currently being represented by a public defender. Court filings argue that he is entitled to $1.5 million in funds that have allegedly been withheld without legal justification.
Nick Reiner seeks access to trust fund
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Nick argued that the trustee’s refusal to release the money forced him to rely on a court-appointed public defender despite celebrity attorney Alan Jackson’s firm already dedicating substantial resources to his defense.
Nick is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The charges also include the special circumstance of multiple murders involving the use of a deadly weapon.
Jackson, who previously represented Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman acquitted last year following two widely publicized trials in the death of her police officer boyfriend, began working on Nick’s case immediately after his arrest.
However, the representation ended when anticipated family funding failed to materialize. In a declaration, Jackson stated that his firm remained willing to return if funding became available, including through alternative fee arrangements.
Nick’s petition states that the trust established by Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner required the trustee to distribute half of its assets to him when he turned 30 in September 2023. According to the filing, those funds were never released.
Nick Reiner disputes competency concerns in court
The dispute centers on trustee Paul Kanin, who reportedly questioned whether the 32-year-old is capable of making sound financial decisions. Court filings indicate that Kanin sought to further evaluate Nick’s ability to exercise “consistently good judgment” before releasing trust assets.
His attorneys rejected those concerns, arguing that they lacked legal support. They noted that no court had declared Nick incompetent and that no doctors had made the findings required under the trust. They also argued that California law presumes adults competent unless proven otherwise.
“None of the sophisticated and experienced attorneys who have met with and represented Nick in recent months has raised any issue with Nick’s ability to understand the nature and consequences of the criminal proceedings, or to make informed decisions regarding his defense and retention of counsel,” his lawyers added.
The case stems from an incident on December 14, when Los Angeles Fire Department officials responded to a Brentwood-area home at approximately 3:30 pm and discovered two bodies. Authorities later confirmed that the victims were Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.
“Both victims were found in the master bedroom area of the home,” LAPD Assistant Police Chief Dominic Choi later confirmed during an LAPD Board of Police Commissioners meeting. Officers conducted a “thorough search” of the residence and found no additional victims or suspects.
Nick was quickly identified as a person of interest and taken into custody on the night of December 14 before being formally charged on December 16.
