Key Takeaways
- Nick Reiner, 32, is charged with two counts of first‑degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents and seeks access to a > $1.5 million trust fund to pay for a private defense attorney and basic jail necessities.
- The trust, created by his parents, called for half the money at age 30 and the remainder at 35; Reiner never received the initial distribution.
- His lawyer argues the trustee may release funds early for the beneficiary’s “support, maintenance, health and education,” and that funding his defense is the most appropriate use.
- Reiner wants to rehire prominent criminal‑defense attorney Alan Jackson, who had briefly represented him before withdrawing.
- The successor trustee objects to an immediate distribution, citing concerns about Reiner’s capacity to manage money, given his history of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and a 2020 year‑long mental‑health conservatorship.
- The trustee role is changing: Paul Kanin has resigned, and the incoming trustee is Jodi Pais Montgomery, a professional fiduciary who once served as conservator for Britney Spears.
- Family members have not commented on the request, although Reiner’s brother Jake described the loss of both parents as “almost too impossible to process.”
Lawyers for Nick Reiner, the 32‑year‑old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, filed a petition in Los Angeles probate court on Monday asking the court to release more than $1.5 million from a trust established by his parents when he was a baby. Reiner, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of first‑degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his mother and father on Dec. 14, 2025, is currently represented by a public defender but says he cannot afford a private attorney without access to the trust money.
According to the court papers, the trust stipulates that Reiner should have received one‑half of the funds on his 30th birthday, with the remainder payable when he turns 35. The filing notes that, for reasons that remain unclear, he never obtained the initial distribution. Reiner’s counsel argues that the trustee can release money before the age of 35 for the beneficiary’s “support, maintenance, health and education,” and that financing his defense falls squarely within those categories.
Anita Wu, the lawyer representing Reiner in the financial dispute, wrote in the petition that “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.” She emphasized that the money is not a windfall but a legal entitlement meant to ensure a fair trial. The petition also stresses that, without the funds, Reiner remains dependent on a public defender whose caseload may limit the depth of investigation and expert testimony he can secure.
Beyond attorney fees, Reiner says he needs the money to purchase basic commissary items such as socks and soap while he is held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles. The petition argues that these everyday necessities are part of the trust’s permissible use for the beneficiary’s support and maintenance. Allowing access to the fund, the filing contends, would alleviate the indignity of relying solely on jail‑provided supplies and help him maintain a minimal standard of hygiene and comfort during pretrial detention.
The successor trustee, Paul Kanin, objected to an immediate outright distribution, writing in an email attached to the filing that he has “unresolved concerns … regarding Nick’s capacity to make sound decisions and adequately protect his own interests.” Reiner’s legal team points to his documented history of serious mental illness—including diagnoses of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder—and a year‑long mental health conservatorship that ended in 2020. They argue that, despite these challenges, he remains legally competent to direct the use of his own trust assets for his defense.
Reiner’s petition says that, if he secures the money, he wishes to rehire prominent criminal‑defense lawyer Alan Jackson, who had briefly represented him after the arrest before withdrawing, citing “circumstances beyond his control.” In a declaration attached to the petition, Jackson stated that Reiner’s siblings had verbally agreed to help fund the defense, but a family representative later informed him that no third‑party funding would be forthcoming. The trust’s management has also seen turnover: Kanin recently resigned, citing a conflict with the family’s other trusts, and the incoming trustee is Jodi Pais Montgomery, a professional fiduciary who previously served as conservator for Britney Spears. Representatives for Reiner’s brothers Jake and Romy did not respond to requests for comment, though Jake had earlier written in a blog post that losing both parents to his brother’s alleged actions was “almost too impossible to process.”