Nick Reiner wants money to protect himself from the money his abandoned parents killed
Nick Reiner, accused of killing his parents – acclaimed director Rob Reiner and film producer Michele Reiner – is asking a Los Angeles court to release money from the company his parents founded, to pay for his legal defense.
The request filed by Reiner’s lawyers in Los Angeles County court on Monday says that the authorities responsible for the funds rejected him without legal reasons, and the 32-year-old defendant needs them. “Time is of the essence,” he told a trustee earlier this year.
In December 2025, Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents days after the beloved Hollywood couple was found murdered in their home in Brentwood. Family friends told The Times that Rob and Nick had an argument at Conan O’Brien’s holiday party just hours before the couple were killed. Many party guests saw Nick acting strangely, friends said.
Nick Reiner, who had battled addiction for years, was living in a guest house on his parents’ property, a family friend said, and his mother was very concerned about his mental health in the weeks leading up to his death.
Nick loved his parents, and was devastated by their deaths,” the petition reads. “But the facts about what happened and what did not happen to them are not relevant to this Trust matter. Nick’s criminal defense attorneys will present those facts at the criminal trial; this request does not require and does not invite this Court to respond. Like anyone accused of a crime, Nick is presumed innocent, and has the right to defend himself with legal resources.”
According to court documents obtained by The Times, Rob and Michele Reiner set up trusts for Nick and his siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, more than 30 years ago. The Nick Reiner Children’s Trust is a small trust created and funded independently of the larger family trust that holds the assets of the Reiner estate.
“Those hopes, and Nick’s interest in them, are not at issue here,” the petition reads. “The terms of Nick’s Trust are not complicated, and not subject to reasonable controversy. Nick’s parents left clear instructions as to when the funds in the Trust were to be released to him. One portion of the Trust was required to be allocated to Nick immediately upon his 30th birthday. … They also directed that when he turned 35, he would receive all of the money left in his Trust without conditions.”
Court documents say the trustee was authorized to make discretionary payments to Reiner for her support, care, health and education until all funds were disbursed to her on her 35th birthday — but, the documents say, when she turned 30 in 2023, she did not receive her payment.
Oversight of the trust has changed hands since December, according to the filing, and attorney Paul R. Kanin, who has been in charge since February, has given “a fluctuating series of excuses and reasons” for denying Reiner the money, including eligibility concerns. Kanin is stepping down, effective June 11, and Jodi Pais Montgomery will take over the management of the trust.
“Nick is currently awaiting trial on two counts of murder,” the petition read. “No use of his money could be more important. … Nick’s stakes could not be higher.”
Reiner was initially represented by high-profile criminal lawyer Alan Jackson, who also represented Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, but in January, Jackson dropped Reiner when his siblings failed to pay defense fees. Reiner, who is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, is currently being represented by an attorney from the LA County public defender’s office.
