Rob Reiner's son Nick cites grandfather as reason he should gain access to trust funds as he awaits murder trial

Attorneys for the son of Rob Reiner have contended the accused murderer should have access to a trust fund created for him as a baby, arguing a 'substantial portion' of it consists of money left to him by his grandfather Carl Reiner. 

For almost a year, Nick Reiner has been locked up at Twin Towers Correctional Facility following accusations he murdered his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, with the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of lying in wait.

Nick has been battling to gain access to a trust worth roughly $1.6 million to pay for legal fees, insisting the funds legally belong to him as he prepares to stand trial over the killings. 

The trustee responsible for the account cites California's Slayer Statue as one of the reasons the money has been withheld from Nick, which can prevent someone who unlawfully kills another person from financially benefiting from that death.

But in court documents obtained by The Daily Mail, lawyers for Nick claim the statue does not apply in this particular case and that much of the funds in the trust were actually left to him by his grandfather, Hollywood legend Carl Reiner, and not his parents. 

'The Slayer Statute prevents a killer from receiving a benefit created by the killing. It takes away what a person receives because someone died; it does not divest a person of his pre-existing property,' the documents explain. 

It later adds: 'A substantial portion of the funds currently held in Nick’s Trust did not even come from Nick’s parents – it was money that Nick’s grandfather, Carl Reiner, left to Nick in his estate plan, with similar distributions to his other grandchildren. 

'This includes at least $325,017.49, which was transferred into the Trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank on December 24, 2024. The Successor Trustee’s counsel has informed Petitioner that, in addition to that sum, other distributions to Nick from his grandfather may have similarly been deposited into accounts held by this Trust.

'It is not clear how much of the money in the Trust came from his grandfather, or why that money was deposited into Nick’s Trust account, rather than to Nick individually. It is Petitioner’s understanding that the Successor Trustee is still looking into these matters. 

'Either way, the Slayer Statute has no application to that money. Nick’s grandfather died on June 29, 2020. Nick is not accused of causing his death.

'Money that was left to Nick by his grandfather is not money received by Nick from or through his parents. To the extent the funds Nick received from his grandfather are Nick’s personal assets, they remain Nick’s and should be segregated and released from this Trust. 

'Even if they were properly held by the Trust, the Slayer Statute does not supply a basis for withholding them, and they should be distributed in accordance with Paragraphs 4.4 and 4.5 of the Trust.'

In the filings, Nick's lawyers also claimed that their client cannot even use his fortune to buy basic items from the commissary.

'In the meantime, Nick still has not been able to access even $5 from his trust to buy basic subsistence items from the jail commissary,' his attorneys wrote.

The complaint comes amid a bitter family divide over the fortune Rob and Michele established for their son when he was an infant. 

Sources previously told the Daily Mail that Nick's siblings Jake and Romy Reiner are united in refusing to help him turn his inheritance into a war chest to fight charges that he brutally murdered their parents.

'It's not an issue of love or not, it's an issue of how much do you allow someone to take from you,' a longtime Reiner family friend said.

'Knowing that he's using their inheritance for his defense is just too much. They won't allow that if they can help it.'

Sources previously told the Daily Mail that Jake, 34, and Romy, 28, have felt the need to establish strict boundaries as they grieve their parents.

'I wouldn't say [they] abandoned him for good,' one family friend said. 'I'd say that they are setting boundaries that are appropriate for their healing, and Nick is not a part of their healing.'

Another source said the siblings were 'not budging' over the trust dispute.

Their older half-sister Tracy Reiner, 61, Rob's adopted daughter from his marriage to Penny Marshall, was also said to support keeping Nick from accessing the inheritance.

Nick's attorneys insist, however, that the dispute is fundamentally about his right to use money that already belongs to him while he is still presumed innocent.

'What the Successor Trustee asks this Court to do is enter an order freezing a presumed-innocent man's own untainted money until after the trial at which his liberty will be decided,' they wrote.

They also claim his siblings have made 'no claim' over the money in the trust. 

'They were served with Nick’s Petition months ago and did not object, and they have never sought a determination under the Slayer Statute. To the contrary, in April 2026 they consented in writing to the disbursement of a substantial portion of Nick’s Trust to pay legal fees incurred by his criminal-defense lawyers,' the filing says. 

Nick pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder over the December 14, 2025 deaths of his father, acclaimed filmmaker Rob Reiner, 78, and his photographer-producer mother Michele, 70, at their Brentwood home.

Prosecutors allege the couple were stabbed to death and Nick was indicted in July with special circumstances including lying in wait, along with an allegation that he used a knife.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced last week that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty. Nick could still face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

But while that criminal case advances, an increasingly acrimonious second battle is raging over the money Nick wants to spend defending himself.

The Nick Reiner Children's Trust was created by Rob and Michele in 1993 and names Nick as its sole beneficiary.

His lawyers say the trust contains approximately $1.6 million and argue that at least $558,000 should have been handed to him when he turned 30 on September 14, 2023 – more than two years before his parents were killed.

'Nick turned 30 on September 14, 2023,' his attorneys wrote. 'By the Successor Trustee's own calculation, at least $558,000 became due and payable to him that day. His parents were alive. No one had accused him of anything.'

That timing is now at the heart of his legal argument.

Reiner's legal team has also launched an attack on the amount being spent fighting his attempts to access the money.

They claim attorneys representing the trustees have already racked up more than $250,000 in legal fees – paid from the very trust Reiner is trying to unlock.

'Third, it is Nick who is paying for the fight to keep his money from him,' his attorneys complained in their new filing. 

They warned: 'Every month this continues, there is less left - for Nick, and for anyone who might ever claim it.'

The filings also allege that former trustee Paul R Kanin agreed in April to put money into Reiner's jail commissary account but never followed through.

According to Reiner's lawyers, Kanin's attorney requested instructions for making the deposits, which were provided on April 21.

'No deposit was ever made,' they claimed. 'Kanin never withdrew the commitment; it was simply never honored.'

Kanin, who resigned as trustee in May after serving for approximately 15 weeks, has denied breaching his fiduciary duties and maintains that he acted prudently.

Successor trustee Jodi Pais Montgomery has also opposed releasing the money while the murder prosecution remains unresolved, arguing that the trust should be preserved until it is clear whether the Slayer Statute applies.

Reiner's attorneys say the financial freeze has far more serious consequences than leaving him unable to buy commissary items.

High-powered attorney Alan Jackson initially represented Reiner following his arrest but withdrew from the criminal case in January, citing 'circumstances beyond our control.'

Reiner is now represented by a public defender at taxpayer expense, but has said he wants to rehire Jackson if he gains access to his trust.

'The harm here is severe and ongoing,' his attorneys wrote.

'Nick has been deprived of the use of his own money and has been unable to pay for criminal defense counsel and experts since January 2026, prejudicing his ability to defend against double homicide charges with special circumstances.'

Jackson has indicated he could return if the funding dispute is resolved.

'He's made a determination that he wants to be able to use his funds that are in his trust account to decide on his criminal counsel,' Jackson previously said.