Nick Reiner is seeking access to an individual trust established by his late parents — filmmaker Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner — to rehire a powerhouse attorney to defend him in his upcoming criminal trial for their murders.
The Reiners were found dead in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14, and Nick, their middle child and second son, was ultimately arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances for multiple murders and use of a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody in L.A.
The 32-year-old has filed a probate petition in Los Angeles to access some of the $1.5 million placed in the trust, part of which he states in the filing was to be distributed to him on his 30th birthday. Per the petition, the trust had “unambiguous” mandatory distributions: half the value when each beneficiary turned 30 and the remainder at age 35. Nick claims he did not receive any distribution in 2023 when he turned 30.
“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this trust litigation,” attorneys representing Nick Reiner wrote in the petition. “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.”
