Nick Reiner is asking a California court to force the release of $1.5 million from a trust fund established by his parents, whom he is accused of killing, PEOPLE reports.
The 32-year-old has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the December 2025 deaths of director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. Despite the charges, his legal team argues he is entitled to distributions from the irrevocable trust his parents created for him.
According to a probate petition obtained by PEOPLE, the trust’s current trustee has refused to release funds based on concerns about Reiner’s competence to manage money. The document states the trustee cited “unsubstantiated ‘concerns’ about Nick’s so-called competence to ‘manage a trust.’”
The trust terms required half of the assets to be distributed when Reiner turned 30, with the remainder due at age 35. His attorneys argue those distributions are mandatory and non-discretionary.
“The trust does not authorize the Trustee to condition these distribution points on any subjective assessment by the Trustee as to Nick’s intended use of those funds,” the petition states.
Reiner’s legal team contends that even if he were deemed incompetent, the trustee could only modify how the funds are distributed, not withhold them entirely. The filing notes there has been no judicial declaration of incompetence.
The petition separates Reiner’s emotional response to his parents’ deaths from his legal entitlement to the inheritance, according to PEOPLE.
“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths,” the filing states. “But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this trust litigation.”
Reiner says he needs the funds to hire private counsel and purchase basic items like socks and soap from the jail commissary, PEOPLE said. The funding dispute has already affected his defense. Attorney Alan Jackson withdrew from the case Jan. 7, when payment could not be secured from the trust. Jackson filed a declaration saying he would return to the case if reasonable payment arrangements could be made.
Reiner is currently represented by a public defender. Representatives for the Reiner family have not commented on the litigation.
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Megan Sims; cleveland.com; (TNS) || ©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
