Nick Reiner appears with deputy public defender Kimberly Greene during his arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Feb. 23, 2026. Chris Torres-Pool/Getty Images 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.
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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.”
In January, high-profile Los Angeles attorney Alan Jackson withdrew from Nick Reiner’s legal defense after taking him on as a client shortly after the arrest. His siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, had initially helped fund their brother’s defense but are no longer involved. At the time, Jackson said in court that he had “no choice at this juncture but to withdraw as counsel and ask to be relieved.” Reiner was subsequently assigned a public defender.
The petition states that Reiner has a defense to present but is unable to afford an attorney without the distribution, which he is seeking according to its terms.
“Given the present circumstances, it is an abuse of the trustee’s discretion to refuse those requests,” the petition states. “Nick is currently awaiting trial on double homicide charges. No use of his funds could be more important.”
The petition states that Paul Kanin, the current trustee — who took over in February — has “offered a shifting series of excuses and justifications” for withholding the funds, including, the petition claims, “unsubstantiated ‘concerns’ about Nick’s so-called competence to ‘manage a trust.'”
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Kanin on Tuesday but did not hear back; this story will be updated if he responds.
Nick Reiner had known drug issues throughout his teen years and into adulthood, having entered rehab facilities more than a dozen times since he was 14. He had been prescribed medication to treat schizophrenia before the killings, according to two sources familiar with the criminal investigation.
Reiner’s case has been slowly moving through the L.A. courts this year; his next scheduled court appearance is in September.
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