$558,000 Trust Fund Dispute: Nick Reiner Asks Court for Access to Pay for Parents' Murder Defense

The number that matters here is $558,000 and the person who needs it is Nick Reiner. The 32-year-old is asking a court to grant him access to money his parents set aside for him so he can defend himself against charges he killed them. According to court filings made public recently, Reiner wants this specific sum to rehire prominent criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson. Jackson was replaced by the L.A. County Public Defender’s Office earlier this year after dropping out of the case. Reiner argues the money was owed to him long before the slayings.

Reiner’s parents were Rob and Michele Reiner. They set up a trust for him that made the money irrevocable. The trust was designed to pay him on two fixed dates, one-half when he turned 30 and the balance when he turned 35. The trust was supposed to disburse the $558,000 three years ago, in September 2023. Reiner claims this money was his to use before any conviction. In his filing, he argues that an order freezing him out from the funds would be unconstitutional. He calls it a denial of a “presumed-innocent man” access to his own untainted money until a trial decides his liberty.

Those who manage the trust argue Reiner is barred from accessing it under California’s Slayer statute. This law generally prevents people from collecting inheritances or otherwise profiting off their crimes. However, Reiner’s legal team argues the statute does not apply because he has not been convicted. They contend the money he seeks was owed on his 30th birthday. The case is distinct from the larger Reiner family trusts, which hold the assets of the parents’ estate and the inheritances left to the other children. This specific dispute is about the money set aside for Nick alone.