OAN Staff Lillian Mann
3:26 PM – Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of acclaimed Hollywood director Rob Reiner, is fighting for access to a family trust fund holding more than $1.5 million. He argues that the withheld funds are vital to financing his legal defense against charges against him in relation to the double homicide of his parents.

The defendant’s civil attorneys filed a Los Angeles County petition on Monday, arguing that the 32-year-old was entitled to his trust fund upon turning 30, distributions his lawyers referred to as “mandatory and unconditional.” Despite the terms set by his late parents — the “Princess Bride” director and photographer/producer Michele Singer Reiner — requests to release the money have been denied.

Nick Reiner has been incarcerated since December 14, 2025, when law enforcement and prosecutors say he fatally stabbed his parents with a knife at their Los Angeles home. He was arrested hours after the incident and has since pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstance allegations.

Despite multiple requests from Nick in recent months, the trustee, attorney Paul R. Kanin, has repeatedly refused to release the funds, citing what it describes as a “shifting series of excuses and justifications,” including concerns about Reiner’s ability to manage a trust, according to the filing.

 

Ultimately, the decision to block his access hinges on two key issues: Nick’s history of substance abuse and mental health struggles, and a California law known as the “Slayer Statute.” Under this statute, any individual who intentionally and unlawfully kills another is legally barred from inheriting the victim’s property, money, or trust funds.

Multiple investigative and media reports have suggested that Nick was diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder several years prior to the stabbings. Notably, his medication regimen was reportedly adjusted in the weeks leading up to the death of his parents.

Sources familiar with the family and the investigation confirmed that Reiner’s psychiatric medication regimen was altered roughly one month to a few weeks prior to the stabbings. The shift was reportedly initiated by his doctors to combat adverse side effects, but media reports indicate the change caused his behavior to become increasingly erratic and volatile in the days leading up to the tragedy.

 

Due to this, legal analysts expect his defense team to heavily focus on his psychiatric struggles and mental competency as the legal proceedings move forward.

The defense, however, argues that without the family funds, he will be unable to pay for his legal counsel or “basic necessities while incarcerated,” according to USA Today.

In January, Reiner’s defense attorney, Alan Jackson, withdrew from the case, citing “circumstances beyond his control.” In a declaration included with the new petition, Jackson states that his firm “stands ready, willing, and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner” if the funds are released.

 

“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,” his defense attorneys 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.”

“Given the present circumstances, it is an abuse of the Trustee’s discretion to refuse those requests,” the petition continued. “Nick is currently awaiting trial on double homicide charges. No use of his funds could be more important.”

Nick’s next court date is scheduled for September 15^th.

 

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