A new legal battle has emerged in the Nick Reiner case, this time over money rather than the murder charges themselves.
The professional fiduciary overseeing a $1.5 million trust fund established by Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner has formally opposed Nick Reiner's request to access the money for his legal defense. According to court papers obtained by The New York Times, fiduciary Jodi Pais Montgomery cited California's "slayer statute," a law that bars anyone who "feloniously and intentionally kills the decedent" from inheriting "any property, interest or benefit" under that person's will or trust.
Montgomery's attorney, Lauriann Wright, argued in filings that "California has enacted no exception permitting a killer's inheritance to be used for criminal defense costs," adding that releasing the funds now would be "irreversible" if Reiner is ultimately convicted. Wright noted the money would instead pass to Reiner's siblings, Romy and Jake, under the statute.
Reiner's attorneys have pushed back, arguing he should have begun receiving trust payments when he turned 30, two years ago, and that ongoing legal fees are depleting the fund regardless of the outcome. A judge has continued the hearing to October rather than ruling immediately.
Reiner, 32, was indicted last week on two counts of murder with special-circumstance allegations, including lying in wait, in the deaths of his parents at their Brentwood home in December. He remains held without bail and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Cases like this are a hard reminder that justice, forgiveness, and grief rarely move at the same pace - a family left grieving one loss now finds itself navigating another kind of loss in the courtroom.
Related Article: Rob and Michele Reiner Case: Grand Jury Indictment Adds New Charge Against Son Nick
