Nick Reiner Seeks Trust Funds for Defense in Parents’ Murder Case

Facing double murder charges for the deaths of his famous parents—film producer Michele Reiner and renowned director Rob Reiner—32-year-old Nick Reiner has petitioned a Los Angeles tribunal to unlock trust money set up by his mother and father to fund his attorney fees, though the trustee is pushing back against his bid for the cash.

The legal battle over the trust assets unfolds as Reiner awaits trial on double homicide charges at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles. According to a petition filed in Los Angeles County court by his civil attorneys, trustees overseeing the funds have denied his requests without legal justification.

“Time is of the essence,” Reiner told the trustee earlier this year, according to court filings.

## Trust Terms and Payout Disputes

Trust records secured by the Los Angeles Times show that Rob and Michele Reiner set up distinct trusts for Nick alongside his brothers and sisters, Romy and Jake Reiner, upward of three decades back. The Nick Reiner Children’s Trust was created and funded independently of the larger family trust holding the assets of the Reiner estate.

The petition emphasizes that those separate estate trusts and Nick’s interest in them are not at issue in the current litigation.

“The terms of Nick’s Trust are not complicated, and they are not subject to reasonable dispute,” the petition states. “Nick’s parents left unambiguous instructions about when the funds in the Trust were to be released to him.”

Under the stated terms, one-half of the trust was required to be distributed outright to Reiner when he turned 30, with the remaining funds scheduled for release on his 35th birthday. The court documents indicate that these distributions are mandatory and unconditional. While the trustee is authorized to make discretionary distributions for support, maintenance, health, and education until the final 35th birthday payout, Reiner did not receive his mandatory payout when he turned 30 in 2023.

Oversight of the trust has changed hands since December, according to the petition. Attorney Paul R. Kanin, who oversaw the trust beginning in February, has provided a shifting series of excuses and justifications to deny Reiner access to the funds, including concerns regarding competency, according to the court filings. Kanin is scheduled to resign, with fiduciary Jodi Pais Montgomery preparing to take over management of the trust.

## Criminal Defense and Family Context

In December 2025, Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents days after the Hollywood power couple was found slain at their Brentwood home. According to accounts shared with the Los Angeles Times by family acquaintances, an altercation occurred between Rob and Nick at a holiday gathering hosted by Conan O’Brien late on the night before the homicides, with several attendees observing that Nick’s behavior appeared odd.

Family friends told the Los Angeles Times that Nick had struggled with addiction for years and was living in a guesthouse on his parents’ property. In the weeks leading up to her death, Michele Reiner had grown increasingly concerned about his mental health.

“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths,” the petition notes. “But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation. Nick’s criminal defense attorneys will present those facts in the criminal case; this Petition neither requires nor invites this Court to weigh in on them. 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.”

Reiner was initially represented by high-profile criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson, whose past clients include Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. However, Jackson dropped Reiner in January after his siblings did not pay for the costly defense. Reiner is currently represented by an attorney from the L.A. County public defender’s office.

“Nick is currently awaiting trial on double homicide charges,” the petition states. “No use of his funds could be more important. … The stakes for Nick could not be higher.”

The matter remains pending before the Los Angeles County court, where the incoming fiduciary is set to assume management of the trust amid ongoing proceedings.