Attorneys for Nick Reiner asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Monday to grant him access to a $1.5 million trust fund to pay for his legal defense. Reiner, 32, is currently facing two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the December stabbing deaths of his parents, director Rob Reiner and producer Michele Reiner. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The trust fund in question was established by Rob and Michele Reiner in 1993. Legal proceedings regarding the funds have been complicated by California’s "slayer statute," a law that prohibits individuals from inheriting assets from someone they are determined to have intentionally killed. A financial representative for the trust has cited this statute as the reason for withholding the money while the murder case is pending.
During the hearing, Reiner’s attorney, Anita Wu, argued that her client should have started receiving payments from the trust upon turning 30. Wu stated that the fund is being "consumed and depleted" because trustees have already used $200,000 from it to cover their own legal expenses related to the dispute. Attorney Alan Jackson, who previously represented Reiner in the criminal matter but withdrew due to Reiner’s inability to pay, is now assisting the probate team seeking the funds. Reiner is currently represented by a public defender but intends to use the trust money to hire private counsel.
The scale of the financial impact involves a $1.5 million principal, of which $200,000—or approximately 13%—has already been spent on trustee legal fees according to Reiner's counsel. For Reiner, the immediate consequence of the court's decision will be his ability to pay for high-profile legal representation, such as Alan Jackson, who charges fees that Reiner could not meet personally in January. If convicted of the murders, Reiner faces a sentence of up to life in prison or the death penalty, should prosecutors choose to pursue it.
The case sets a significant procedural precedent regarding the timing of the "slayer statute." The court must decide if the statute applies to a defendant before a criminal conviction is secured, or if the presumption of innocence allows the defendant to use the disputed funds for their trial. A decision in favor of the trustees would maintain the freeze on the assets, while a decision for Reiner would allow him to deplete the trust to pay for his defense. Judge Ruben Garcia has scheduled a follow-up hearing for October 23 to further address the dispute.