Nick Reiner blocked from accessing trust fund ahead of murder trial

Nick Reiner, who stands indicted for the murders of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, has been blocked from accessing his trust fund, valued at over $1.5 million. A trustee for the fund stated in court documents that California's "slayer statute" prohibits Reiner from using the funds for his defense against the murder charges.

Reiner pleaded not guilty in February to two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders in the deaths of his parents. The slayer statute, according to court documents, prevents individuals from inheriting money from someone they have "feloniously and intentionally" killed. The trustee also noted that if Reiner is convicted of his parents' murders, he will be considered to have predeceased them, and his siblings, Romy and Jake Reiner, would inherit his trust.

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The slayer statute requires a determination, not a mere accusation. Nick is presumed innocent and has been convicted of nothing.

The professional fiduciary overseeing the trust fund, Jodi Pais Montgomery, opposed Reiner's request for immediate payment of a distribution due when he turned 30, as well as discretionary distributions for a jail commissary account and private criminal defense fees. Legal documents indicate the trustee believes Reiner's premise that the distribution was wrongfully withheld is incorrect.

Reiner's lawyer, Anita P. Wu, rejected the trustee's assertion, stating in a statement to the New York Times that the slayer statute requires a conviction, not merely an accusation. "Nick is presumed innocent and has been convicted of nothing," Wu said. Reiner himself, in a declaration filed with the court, stated he did not consent to any trustee withholding his distribution indefinitely.

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I did not give my consent to any trustee of my trust to withhold, defer or retain my age-30 distribution indefinitely as ‘property of the trust,'