Nick Reiner asks for trust access as murder trial nears

Nick Reiner, held since Dec. 14 after prosecutors allege he killed his parents, has petitioned a Los Angeles court for access to a trust he says he was denied. He argues the money is separate from a larger family trust and is required for his legal defense and

When Nick Reiner walked into court and entered a plea of not guilty in February. the fight ahead was already clear. Now. with his next pretrial hearing set for September. the pressure has shifted in a quieter direction: whether he can get access to money meant for him before the case can be fully defended.

Reiner. 32. appeared alongside public defender Kimberly Greene as he pleaded not guilty in the murder of Rob and Michelle Reiner. whose deaths prosecutors say were carried out at the couple’s Los Angeles home. Arrested in December on suspicion of first-degree murder, he remains behind bars. Since then. his legal effort has expanded beyond the criminal case to a separate court fight over a trust fund established by his parents.

In a petition filed Monday. June 8. Reiner asked a Los Angeles court to grant him access to a trust set up by his late parents. Rob and Michele Reiner. The filing alleges he has been denied any of the money he claims he was entitled to once he turned 30. The petition says the fund is separate from “the larger Reiner family trust” and is intended “for his individual benefit.”.

Without the money. Reiner argues. he is unable to pay for his legal counsel or “basic necessities while incarcerated.” He also contends that the terms of the trust require a specific schedule: at least $1.5 million is held in the fund. the petition says. though it does not disclose the total amount. The petition states that half must be distributed when he turned 30 and the other half at 35.

The filing further says Rob and Michele Reiner “separately authorized the Trustee to make other discretionary distributions to Nick for his support. maintenance. health. and education. until all funds are released to him on his 35th birthday.” That detail is central to the dispute: Reiner alleges he requested the funds multiple times in recent months. but the trustee responded by withholding them.

In the petition. Reiner describes the trustee offering “a shifting series of excuses and justifications. ” including “concerns” about Nick’s so-called competence to “manage a trust.” Reiner’s attorneys argue the distribution dates are “mandatory. ” and they say the trustee’s subjective views are not a valid basis to withhold the money.

The timeline has become complicated by defense representation. In January. Reiner’s defense attorney Alan Jackson stepped down because of “circumstances beyond his control.” In a declaration filed with the new petition. Jackson said his “firm stands ready. willing. and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner” if the funds become available.

Reiner’s lawyers have framed the trust case as separate from the question of what happened to Rob and Michele Reiner. They say. “Nick loved his parents. and he is devastated by their deaths. ” and they add that “the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation.” They argue that Reiner’s criminal attorneys will present those facts in the criminal case. and that the petition does not ask the court to weigh in on them. Like many criminal defendants. they emphasize that “Nick is presumed innocent. ” and they say he is entitled to mount his defense with resources that are “lawfully his own.”.

The petition also says, “the stakes for Nick could not be higher,” and it argues that Reiner “does not seek them from his parents’ estate,” but rather “his own funds.”

Prosecutors say the case began on Dec. 14. when law enforcement and prosecutors allege Reiner used a knife to fatally stab his parents—Rob and Michele Reiner. widely known as the “Princess Bride” director and his producer wife. Reiner pleaded not guilty in February. He is facing charges on two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders. as well as a special allegation of using a dangerous and deadly weapon. a knife.

After Reiner’s plea hearing in February, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the case was “death penalty eligible,” though the office has not said whether it will pursue that outcome.

The trust fight and the criminal fight now overlap in a practical way. Reiner’s next pretrial hearing is set for September—while, according to his petition, the missing money is already limiting what he can do to defend himself.

Rob and Michele Reiner’s family includes more than just Nick. The couple met in 1988 on the set of “When Harry Met Sally” and married one year later. They had their eldest son, Jake Reiner, in May 1991, and Nick Reiner was born in 1993. Their daughter Romy Reiner was born in 1997. Rob Reiner also fathered Tracy Reiner, the daughter of his first wife, Penny Marshall, whom he adopted during their marriage.

Nick Reiner Rob Reiner Michele Reiner trust fund dispute Los Angeles court murder trial first-degree murder knife allegation Nathan Hochman Kimberly Greene Alan Jackson