Nick Reiner, son of legendary film director Rob Reiner, is seeking unpaid money from a trust fund his parents set up for him to pay for his defense against allegedly killing his parents. Rob Reiner and his wife lost their lives on December 14, 2025, in the Brentwood neighborhood in Los Angeles, California.
Reiner’s Petition
According to the petition filed with the Los Angeles courts, Nick is devastated by the death of his parents, and he loved them. Furthermore, the claim says, “the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation.” It goes on to say that the law states that everyone is presumed innocent of the crime during the trial; therefore, Nick “is entitled to mount his defense with the resources that are lawfully his own.”
Moreover, the petition states the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, though they cannot provide an exact amount due to the fact that the attorney in charge of the fund refuses to share that information with Reiner.
What Happened
Rob Reiner and his wife, producer and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, were stabbed to death in their upscale home. Hours later, their son was arrested for killing them and has since pleaded not guilty to the two counts of murder.
Nick Reiner originally retained a high-profile private attorney Alan Jackson to represent him. However, Jackson left the case for a reason he stated he could not share less than a month later. According to CBS News, “The new filing reveals that Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, had initially agreed to pay for Jackson, but reversed course.”
Where is Reiner’s Money
Furthermore, a declaration filed with the petition stated that Jackson said that his “firm stands ready, willing, and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner” if the funds they are seeking become available. Additionally, the filing states that the larger Reiner family trust is not an issue and that Rob and Michele had set up smaller individual ones for each of their children.
For Nick’s trust fund, Rob and Michele established “unabigous instructions.” His trust was set up in 1993, and it stated that he would be able to receive half of her funds at the age of 30 and the rest five years later. According to the petition, Nick never received what he was entitled to when he turned 30.
In fact, they feel that attorney Paul R. Kanin, entrusted to oversee the trust fund, has been giving “a shifting series of excuses and justifications” to deny Nick access to the money. One of the excuses provided by Kanin was concerns over whether Reiner’s competence, which has no bearing on his trust fund payouts.
Reiner’s Demands
In addition, Nick believes he should receive the money he would have gotten when he turned 30 and the funds that would have been available when he turned 35. He stated he needs this money immediately, not only for his defense but also for his basic necessities — items he can get off of commissary.
Reiner is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing in September. His two counts of murder make him eligible for the death penalty; however, District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that his office has not decided they will seek that out as his punishment yet.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
CBS News: Rob Reiner’s son Nick seeks $1.5 million from trust fund for defense in parents’ killings
MSN: Rob Reiner death: Nick Reiner asks to use trust fund to pay for defense by Natalie Dreier
Image By S K Courtesy of Pixabay – Creative Commons
