Nick Reiner seeks trust funds for murder defense

Nick Reiner, the son of Rob and Michele Reiner, is asking a Los Angeles court to give him access to more than $1.5 million from a trust fund he says his parents created for his benefit, arguing he needs the money to defend himself against charges that he killed them.

Attorneys for Reiner, 32, filed a petition Monday in Los Angeles County court seeking distributions from the trust, which they say was established in 1993 as part of the Reiners’ estate plan. The filing says Reiner was supposed to receive half of the trust when he turned 30 and the remainder at 35, but has not received the first payment or even been told its exact amount.

“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,” his attorneys wrote. “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.”

Rob Reiner, 78, the director of films including “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men” and “When Harry Met Sally…,” and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, a photographer and producer, were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.

The petition says the trust is separate from the larger Reiner family trust and from similar individual trusts created for Reiner’s siblings, Jake Reiner, 34, and Romy Reiner, 28. It says Rob and Michele Reiner left “unambiguous instructions” for the money to be disbursed and describes the payments as “mandatory and unconditional.”

“They were a commitment by Nick’s parents, in the most binding way the law of trusts allows, that these resources would belong to Nick, for his use and benefit,” the petition says.

The filing says the trust holds more than $1.5 million for Reiner’s sole benefit, while CBS News reported that the attorney overseeing the fund has not disclosed its exact value. CBS News identified the trustee as attorney Paul R. Kanin and reported that he has given “a shifting series of excuses and justifications” for withholding the money, including concerns about Reiner’s competence. Kanin did not immediately respond to CBS News’ after-hours email seeking comment.

Reiner’s civil attorneys, Anita P. Wu and Geoffrey A. Neri, did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. Jake and Romy Reiner also did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.

The petition says Reiner needs the money to pay for criminal defense counsel and to fund his commissary account while incarcerated. “Given the present circumstances, it is an abuse of the Trustee’s discretion to refuse those requests,” the filing says. “Nick is currently awaiting trial on double homicide charges. No use of his funds could be more important.”

Reiner was initially represented by prominent private attorney Alan Jackson, who later withdrew. The petition says Reiner could not afford to retain legal services and has since been represented by a public defender. CBS News reported that the new filing says Jake and Romy Reiner initially agreed to pay for Jackson but reversed course. In a declaration included with the petition, Jackson said, “my firm stands ready, willing, and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner” if funds become available.

The criminal case has moved slowly. CBS News reported that Reiner is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing in September and is eligible for the death penalty, though District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said his office has not decided whether to seek it. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive, and CBS News reported that a court order has kept most autopsy details secret.

NBC News reported that sources with direct knowledge of the case said Reiner’s schizophrenia medications had been adjusted at some point before his parents were killed.