Nick Reiner’s request to gain access to his $1.5 million trust to cover his court fees and commissary items has been blocked by trustees.
The financial steward claimed in court docs filed this week that California’s “slayer statute” prevents Nick — who has been charged with murdering his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner — from inheriting the money.
Per Justia Law, the statute prevents a “person who feloniously and intentionally kills the decedent” from gaining access to “property, interest, or benefit under a will of the decedent, or a trust created by or for the benefit of the decedent.”
“California has enacted no exception permitting a killer’s inheritance to be used for criminal defense costs,” Lauriann Wright, a lawyer for the professional fiduciary, Jodi Pais Montgomery, wrote in the docs obtained by the New York Times.
Wright also wrote that under the “slayer statute,” Nick’s portion of his trust fund would be transferred to his sister and brother, Romy and Jake Reiner.
She noted that although Nick is presumed innocent pending the murder trial, releasing the funds to him now would be “irreversible.”
In a statement to the Times, Nick’s lawyer, Anita P. Wu, rejected the claim that the law applies.
“The slayer statute requires a determination, not a mere accusation,” she said. “Nick is presumed innocent and has been convicted of nothing.”
In June, Nick, 32, demanded access to his $1.5 million trust fund to help him cover his legal fees as he fights the murder charges.
The “Being Charlie” writer stated in a petition that he was supposed to be paid half of his trust when he turned 30 in 2023 and the other half when he turns 35 in 2028.
Because the trust is “irrevocable,” Nick — who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia — claimed in the petition that the trustee is not sanctioned to withhold funds from a beneficiary, even if they are deemed incompetent.
Rob and Michele were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood, California, home last December. The filmmaker was 78 and the photographer was 70.
The “All in the Family” actor and Michele’s death certificates stated they died within “minutes” of receiving “multiple sharp force injuries” with a “knife, by another.”
Their youngest son, Nick, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths.
In February, the screenwriter pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Nick is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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