Rob Reiner's son Nick seeks money from trust parents left him for his defense in their killings

By — Andrew Dalton, Associated Press Andrew Dalton, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/rob-reiners-son-nick-seeks-money-from-trust-parents-left-him-for-his-defense-in-their-killings Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Rob Reiner's son Nick seeks money from trust parents left him for his defense in their killings Nation Jun 9, 2026 1:57 PM EDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rob Reiner's son Nick Reiner is seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help in his defense against charges that he killed them . A petition filed by the 32-year-old Nick Reiner's civil attorneys in a Los Angeles County court on Monday says that trustees overseeing the funds have denied them to him without legal justification, and he needs and should get them now. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. "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," the petition says. "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." The director and Hollywood luminary Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and has since pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder. Reiner retained high-profile private lawyer Alan Jackson to represent him, but less than a month later Jackson left the case for reasons he said he couldn't share. The new filing reveals that Reiner's siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, had initially agreed to pay for Jackson, but reversed course. WATCH: Remembering Rob Reiner's life and iconic career In a declaration included with the petition, Jackson said "my firm stands ready, willing, and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner" if the funds become available. The filing says that apart from the larger Reiner family trust, which is not at issue, Rob and Michele Reiner established smaller individual trusts for Nick Reiner and his siblings. It says they left "unambiguous instructions" in Nick Reiner's trust, established in 1993, that he was to receive half its money when he turned 30 and the rest at 35. But, the filing says, Reiner never received the funds he was entitled to at 30, and that the trustee overseeing them since February — attorney Paul R. Kanin — has given "a shifting series of excuses and justifications" to deny Reiner the money, including concerns about Reiner's competence that have no bearing on a payout that is mandatory. Reiner says he should also get the money he was to receive at 35 immediately because his defense and his need for basic necessities in jail require it. The petitio