Rob ReinerNick Reiner’s son is seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents set up for him, saying he needs it to help with his defense against charges he killed them.
Nick Reiner seeks an inheritance for his defense in his parents’ murder case
A petition filed Monday in Los Angeles County court by civil attorney Nick Reiner, 32, alleges that trustees overseeing the funds have denied him without legal justification, and now he needs and should get them.“Nick loved his parents, and is devastated by their deaths. But the facts surrounding what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trustee case,” the petition states. “Like anyone charged with a crime, Nick is presumed innocent and has the right to mount his own defense with the resources that are legally his.”
Regarding Nick Reiner’s court case
The filing says that in addition to the larger Reiner family trust, which is not in dispute, Rob and Michele Reiner created smaller individual trusts for Nick Reiner and his siblings. He says they left “clear instructions” in Nick Reiner’s trust, set up in 1993, that he would receive half the money when he turned 30 and the rest at 35.But, the filing says, Reiner never received the funds he was entitled to at age 30, and since February the trustee overseeing them — attorney Paul R. Kanin — has given a “variable series of excuses and justifications” to deny Reiner the money, including concerns about Reiner’s competency, which have no bearing on a mandatory payment.
Nick Reiner seeks USD 1.5 million
Reiner says he should also get the money he was supposed to receive at age 35 immediately, because it is required for his defense and basic needs in prison.The filing says the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, but Kanin won’t share the exact amount of its value.
Nick Reiner accused of stabbing his parents to death
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 in December. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested a few hours later and has since pleaded guilty to two counts of murder.
The lawyer withdraws the defense because of the payment problem
Reiner hired private attorney Alan Jackson to represent him, but less than a month later Jackson dropped the case for reasons he said he could not share. The new filing reveals that Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, initially agreed to pay Jackson, but reneged.In a statement accompanying the petition, Jackson said “my firm is ready, willing and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner” if funds are available.
Nick Reiner is eligible for the “death penalty”.
Proceedings in Reiner’s murder case are moving slowly. He is scheduled to return to court in September. He is eligible for the death penalty, but District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office has not yet decided whether to seek it.Authorities have not said anything about possible motives, and leaks in the case have been almost non-existent on both sides. A court order has kept most of the details of the autopsy confidential. Many of the most fundamental questions about the assassination remain publicly unanswered.On the day he left the case, Jackson, speaking outside court, firmly stated that “under the laws of California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder.”
Jake Reiner talks about his parents’ murder
In April, Jake Reiner gave the first detailed account of his experience of losing his parents and having his brother at the center, calling it a “living nightmare” that is “too devastating to comprehend.”Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and watchable films of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included: “This is Spinal Tap”, “Stand By Me”, “A Few Good Men” and “When Harry Met Sally…”, during which he met photographer Michele Singer. They married soon after and were married for 36 years.
