Eric Idle has delivered a blunt response to Nick Reiner's attempt to access family money for his legal defense. Asked about the dispute in a TMZ interview published Tuesday, the Monty Python star said he has "no sympathy" for Nick, who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he murdered his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and producer Michele Singer Reiner.
Idle's words carry particular weight because Rob was a longtime friend. The two had known each other for roughly 50 years, and Idle said they spoke for more than an hour the night before Rob and Michele were killed. After their deaths, he remembered Rob as a thoughtful man whose company he had always enjoyed.
Now Nick is asking a court to release money from a trust his parents established for him. His lawyers argue that a $558,000 payment was due when he turned 30 in 2023, before their deaths, and that withholding it prevents him from hiring the defense attorney he wants. A trustee has opposed releasing the money, citing California's law that can bar a killer from benefiting financially from a victim's death. Nick disputes its application to money he says was already owed to him.
That distinction sits at the heart of the fight: should Nick be able to use funds he claims were his before the killings while he contests the charges? He currently has a public defender, and a court has yet to resolve his claim to the trust payment. Idle's comment expresses a grieving friend's view of Nick's request; it does not decide the legal question or Nick's guilt.
For those who knew Rob and Michele, the argument over legal fees brings another painful dimension to the case. Idle's response shows how sharply a friend can feel about the prospect of their money funding the defense. The court must still decide whether Nick is entitled to it. Nick has pleaded not guilty, and the murder case remains unresolved.
